A Different Path
by QueenPersephoneofHades
Summary: The story of four brave cats travelling to the Sun-Drown-Place alongside their friends is well known... except for this version. Leafpaw, a young warrior apprentice, spies her sister and Brambleclaw sneaking away one night and follows them; however, she doesn't realize the path that destiny has now laid out before her. LeafXCrow. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!
1. 1 Allegiances

** A/N: Now then, this is not an update, this is just a list of allegiances for this story, so it doesn't get confusing. I realized I should've posted this first, but I forgot. :/ I will only be listing ThunderClan's full membership; I will really only list the important members of the other Clans (don't judge, typing all of this is tedious and boring!).**

**WARNING: THIS LIST IS SUBJECT TO CONSTANT CHANGE DUE TO ORIGINAL PLOT-LINES COMING INTO PLAY! CHECK BACK HERE EVERY FEW CHAPTERS TO KEEP UP!**

**LAST EDITED: 5/11/13**

**_ThunderClan:_**

**Leader:** **Firestar** – ginger tom with flame colored fur.

**Deputy:****Graystripe** – long-haired gray tom.  
**Apprentice, Leafpaw**

**Medicine Cat:** **Cinderpelt** – dark gray she-cat.  
**Apprentice, Skypaw**

**Warriors** (toms/she-cats without kits):

**Mousefur** – small dusky brown she-cat.  
**Apprentice, Spiderpaw**

**Dustpelt – **dark brown tabby tom.**  
Apprentice, Squirrelpaw**

**Sandstorm** – pale ginger she-cat.  
**Apprentice, Sorrelpaw**

**Cloudtail** – long-haired white tom.

**Brackenfur** – golden brown tabby tom.  
**Apprentice, Whitepaw**

**Thornclaw** – golden brown tabby tom.  
**Apprentice, Shrewpaw**

**Brightheart** – white she-cat with ginger patches.

**Brambleclaw** – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Ashfur **– pale gray (with darker flecks) tom, dark blue eyes.

**Rainwhisker** – dark gray tom with blue eyes.

**Sootfur** – lighter gray tom with amber eyes.

**Apprentices **(older than six moons, in training to become warriors or the medicine cat):

**Sorrelpaw** – tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes.

**Squirrelpaw** – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes.

**Leafpaw** – light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and a white chest and paws.

**Skypaw** _(medicine cat apprentice)_ – pale white (with gray flecks) tom with light blue eyes.

**Spiderpaw** – long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes.

**Shrewpaw** – small dark brown tom with amber eyes.

**Whitepaw** – white she-cat with green eyes.

**Queens** (she-cats expecting/nursing kits):

**Goldenflower** – pale ginger coat, eldest nursery queen.

**Ferncloud** – pale gray (with darker flecks) coat, green eyes. Mother of Birchkit, Hollykit and Larchkit.

**Elders**(former warriors/queens, now retired):

**Frostfur** – beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes.

**Dappletail **– once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, oldest cat in ThunderClan.

**Speckletail **– pale tabby she-cat.

**Longtail** – pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failed sight.

**_ShadowClan:_**

**Leader: ****Blackstar** – large white tom with huge jet-black paws.

**Deputy:**** Russetfur **– dark ginger she-cat with green eyes.

**Medicine Cat:**** Littlecloud**—very small dark brown tabby tom.

**Warriors:**** Tawnypelt **– tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes.  
**Apprentice, Smokepaw - **dark black tom with light green eyes.

**Oakfur – **small brown tom.  
**Apprentice, Talonpaw**

_**WindClan:**_

**Leader:** **Tallstar **– elderly black and white tom with a very long tail.

**Deputy:**** Mudclaw** – mottled dark brown tom.  
**Apprentice, Crowpaw** – dark smoky gray, almost black, tom with blue eyes (Stonepaw's brother).

**Medicine Cat:**** Barkface** – short-tailed brown tom.

**Warriors: ****Onewhisker **– brown tabby tom.  
**Apprentice, Stonepaw **– dark gray tom with light gray eyes (Crowpaw's brother).

**Ashfoot –** broad-faced gray she-cat with clear blue eyes.  
**Apprentice, Sharppaw**

**Webfoot **– dark gray tabby tom.  
**Apprentice, Weaselpaw**

**Tornear** – tabby tom.  
**Apprentice, Nightpaw**

**Whitetail – **small white she-cat.

**Robinwing ****–** light brown she-cat with blue eyes.

**Queens:**** Dewspots – **spotted gray tabby she-cat. Mother of Adderkit, Buzzardkit, and Thistlekit.

**_RiverClan:_**

**Leader: ****Leopardstar **– unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat.

**Deputy:**** Mistyfoot** – gray she-cat with blue eyes.

**Medicine Cat:** **Mudfur **– long-haired light brown tom.**  
**

**Warriors:**

**Stormfur **– dark gray tom with amber eyes.

**Feathertail **– light gray she-cat with blue eyes.

**Snakefang **– dark brown tom with amber eyes.

**Hawkfrost **– broad-shouldered dark brown tom with ice-blue eyes.

**Mothwing** – beautiful golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

**Queens: Dawnflower **– pale gray she-cat. Mother of Splashkit, Volekit, Streamkit, and Snowkit.

**_Cats Outside Clans:_**

**Barley **– black-and-white tom that lives on a farm close to the forest.

**Ravenpaw** – sleek black cat that lives on the farm with Barley.

**Meg **– pale white she-cat that lives on the farm; Ravenpaw's mate, expecting his kits.

**Copper **– pale ginger she-cat that lives on the farm; Ravenpaw and Meg's daughter.

**Violet **– sleek pure black she-cat that lives on the farm; Ravenpaw and Meg's daughter.

**Dusk **– gray-black tom that lives on the farm; Ravenpaw and Meg's son.

**Purdy** – elderly tabby tom that lives in woods near the sun-drown-place.

**_Ancient Cats - StarClan:_**

**Wind **– first leader and founder of WindClan; small, wiry brown she-cat with yellow eyes.

**Mothflight **– first medicine cat of the Clans, formerly of WindClan; pure white she-cat with stormy green eyes.

**River – **first leader and founder of RiverClan; silver-gray tom with long fur and wide green eyes.

**Dapplepelt **– first medicine cat of RiverClan; delicate tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes.

**Sky **– first leader and founder of SkyClan; gray-blue she-cat with amber eyes and strong hind-legs.

**Leafheart **– first SkyClan medicine cat; silver-black dappled she-cat with green eyes.

**Thunder** – first leader and founder of ThunderClan, brother of Hawkflight; large, fiery ginger tom the color of autumn leaves, a broad head, broad shoulders, white paws, and amber eyes.

**Cloudspots **– first ThunderClan medicine cat; long-haired black tom with white ears, white chest and white front paws with blue eyes.

**Shadow – **first leader and founder of ShadowClan; thick-furred muscular black she-cat with green eyes.

**Pebbleheart **– first ShadowClan medicine cat; large dark gray tabby tom with yellow eyes.

**Gorsestar **– second leader of WindClan and Wind's mate; thin gray tabby tom with blue eyes.

**Ravensmoke **– first deputy of ShadowClan and Shadow's mate; pure black tom with golden eyes.

**Hailfur **– former kittypet and Thunder's mate; ginger-and-white speckled she-cat with green eyes.

**Rainsky **– former loner and River's mate; small golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

**Hawkflight **– former rogue and Sky's mate, Thunder's brother; brown tabby tom with yellow eyes.

**Owlstar **– second leader of ThunderClan; dark gray tom with large, unblinking, amber eyes.

**Mousefang **– former kittypet and warrior of ThunderClan, Owlstar's mate; gray furred she-cat with golden eyes.

**Acornshade **– second medicine cat of ShadowClan and apprentice of Pebbleheart; light brown she-cat with green eyes.

**_Ancient Cats – Dark Forest:_**

**Mapleshade**– large, tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with a fluffy white tail, matted fur, large yellow teeth and amber eyes.

**Tigerstar **– sturdy, muscular, broad-shouldered dark brown tabby tom unusually long front claws and yellow eyes.

**Brokenstar **– massive, scarred, well-muscled dark brown tabby tom with a bent tail and amber eyes.

**Silverhawk **– ragged, pale gray tabby tom.

**Snowtuft **– small, skinny white tom with a long scar snaking from his ear to his belly.

**Thistleclaw **– large, well-muscled, unevenly mottled gray tom with a white face/shoulders and amber eyes.

**Shredtail **– ragged, scrawny, dark brown tabby tom with crisscross scars running across his pelt and an injured tail.

**Maggottail **– black tom with baleful gray eyes and matted pelt.

**Clawface **– sturdy, heavily-built, battle-scarred brown tom with amber eyes.


	2. 1 Prologue: There Will Be Three

**A/N: Quick note; this begins at the ending of 'Firestar's Quest'.**

**_~Warriors~_  
**

_Firestar pushed his way through the gorse tunnel and into the camp, followed by his fellow hunters Brambleclaw and Mousefur. "Rest up after you've eaten," he mewed around the small vole hanging from his mouth, "I want you both at the Gathering tonight."_

_ "Great!" Brambleclaw exclaimed, his fur bristling in excitement. Mousefur nodded at her leader in understanding before she led the younger warrior to the fresh-kill pile._

_ Firestar headed across the clearing, dimly aware that the apprentices – Sootpaw, Sorrelpaw, and Rainpaw – were wrestling outside their den. Thornclaw called Sootpaw to him and the duo disappeared past their leader, most likely to go train._

_ As he got closer to the nursery with the vole he intended to give to his mate, Firestar saw Cinderpelt limp out. He bounded up to her, anxiety already settling into his stomach. "Is everything alright?" he demanded, green eyes blazing._

_ Cinderpelt's deep blue eyes sparkled with a mix between amusement and understanding. "Everything is fine Firestar, I just took her some borage to help her milk come," she assured him calmly._

_ Firestar took a long breath, relief and gratitude to his old friend evident in his eyes. "I still can't believe how magnificent they are," he confessed, kneading the ground under his paws in embarrassment._

_ Cinderpelt purred in amusement. "Well, go on and have another look at them, mouse-brain, and quickly; I doubt Sandstorm will appreciate a cold vole," she said, purring even louder when Firestar jumped, having forgotten the fresh-kill was in his mouth at all and that it was growing cooler every second he spent standing outside._

_ Firestar shot the gray she-cat a withering glare before pushing his way into the brambles surrounding the nursery, forgetting almost instantly the sound of his friend's laughter when he saw them. Sandstorm, the love of his life, lay in a nest of moss and bracken, curled protectively around three small bodies; two she-kits and a tiny tom, all of them a different color than the other, and all so young that their eyes were still closed. One she-kit was a pure dark flaming ginger like her father, the other she-kit a tabby with a white chest and paws, and – last but not least – the tom had a coat of white, flecked with silver like a cloud._

_ Firestar barely noticed Brightheart nudging her daughter Whitekit away from Sandstorm's nest as he padded closer, laying the vole down next to his drowsy mate as he came next to her. Sandstorm purred slightly at the sight of the vole, reaching out and taking a bite as Firestar stationed himself at her side, gazing down at the trio of nursing kits with all the pride of a father in his gaze._

_ "How are you feeling?" he murmured to her gently, his eyes darting from her to the kits and back again, unsure of whom he should be paying the most attention to._

_ Sandstorm smirked at him, her eyes glinting with amusement and exasperation. "For the hundredth time, I'm fine, just a little tired," she purred, "Stop being a mother hen."_

_ Firestar raised a ginger eyebrow at his mate. "You say that to _me_ now,"_ _he said, "When you know in a few moons you'll be no better with these three?" He gestured with his tail to the trio, who remained blissfully unaware of their parent's playful bickering._

_ Sandstorm rolled her eyes before allowing her lighter green eyes to fall on the three kits she was curled around, staring at them with a wonder Firestar had never seen in them before. "I've been thinking of names," she said quietly, raising her eyes to meet his._

_ Firestar blinked. Ever since the kits' unexpected birth a few days ago while he had been away on patrol, Firestar had been so absorbed with keeping Sandstorm comfortable and keeping the Clan together as well that he had never slowed down enough to actually think of what to call them. So, he nodded encouragingly to his mate as she smiled proudly._

_ "How do you like Squirrelkit," she said, using her tail to point at the small ginger kit, "-Leafkit," the tabby, "-and Skykit." and the tiny white-gray one._

_ Firestar felt a rumbling purr come from deep in his chest as he bent down to nuzzle Sandstorm's head with his own. "I think they're wonderful names," he said. Squirrelkit for her bushy tail. Leafkit in the memory of Leafstar, an old friend of theirs – and perhaps in memory of Spottedleaf too. And Skykit, in honor of the lost Clan now restored, the old rogue Skywatcher who had added in restoring the Clan, and also for his pale cloud-like pelt. Squirrelkit, Leafkit, and Skykit. They were all perfect._

_ However, the thought of Skywatcher made Firestar remember the elder's last ominous message to him: _There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.

_Firestar had to suppress a shudder from running through him as he remembered the day he'd heard that prophecy. The three couldn't possibly be this trio; it specifically said 'kin of your kin'. But that could mean that the three of the prophecy would be descended from these precious scraps of fur, and that thought alone was enough to make Firestar's fur prickle with unease._

_ His dreams that night, and for many nights to come, would not be pleasant._

_**~Warriors~**_

**A/N: Hey hey hey y'all! My 1****st**** Warriors fanfic! WHOO! OK, I know everyone here is probably pissed off about me not updating any of my other stories, but, in my defense, I've been having MAJOR writer's block, so you can't come and yell at me for not being inspired. Anyway, this story may/may not remain a top priority for me; I don't know if I'll update as soon as I can or if I'll just update when I feel like it, but for now I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. :P Sorry…  
~Persephone**


	3. 1 Chapter 1: Hunting Patrol

The mouse had no idea she was there. Eyes gleamed in the darkness as the tabby cat slid out of the bushes, carefully balanced in the hunters crouch, paws barely skimming the ground as she made sure not to draw the critter's attention. It continued to nibble on its seed, unaware of its inevitable doom creeping closer and closer.

Suddenly, there came a loud sound, a sharp yowl from nearby, which sent the little gray mouse darting away. Surprised, the tabby sprinted after it, leaping up and crashing down right as the critter disappeared into a hole.

Furious, amber eyes flashing with rage, the tabby whirled around, hissing and spitting, trying to find what it was that had cost her such valuable prey, when the yowl came again, louder this time. "LEAFPAW! WAKE UP!"

Leafpaw jerked awake, eyes flying open as she subconsciously shied away from the loud voice yelling in her ear, which resulted in her falling out of her comfortable mossy nest and onto the cold, hard ground of the apprentice den. "Fox dung!" she cursed, eyes narrowed into slits as she glared up at the tortoiseshell she-cat who had awakened her, "I was _this _close to the mouse!"

Sorrelpaw grinned sheepishly down at her den-mate, paws scuffing the ground underneath her. "Sorry," she mewed as the tabby she-cat hauled herself into a sitting position to groom herself, "I couldn't help it; I'm being made a warrior today! I couldn't stay still!"

Leafpaw flicked her ears, pausing in her washing as she realized Sorrelpaw had expected her to be just as excited. Swallowing her stubborn irritation at being woken up, Leafpaw allowed a smile to come onto her face, her eyes glowing warmly at her friend. "Right, sorry. I'm really happy for you, Sorrelpaw! You of all cats deserve it!" she said.

And boy did she ever; Sorrelpaw had been clipped in the shoulder by a monster on the Thunderpath, resulting in her delayed warrior ceremony as she recovered. Leafpaw thought it had been incredibly unfair that Sorrelpaw's brothers, Sootfur and Rainwhisker had been made warriors without her, but she couldn't do anything about, considering that had happened before she'd even been born.

Sorrelpaw flicked Leafpaw's ear with her tail in appreciation of her words before turning and quickly slipping out of the apprentice's den. Leafpaw, after thoroughly licking any clinging moss out of her fur, quickly followed her, stopping to stretch luxuriously in the sunlight once outside.

"Hey Leafpaw," mewed a voice, and Leafpaw blinked as she saw her flame-pelted sister, Squirrelpaw, sitting nearby, watching the camp as if she were on a guard duty. Spiderpaw and Shrewpaw, their last two denmates, were sharing tongues with Sorrelpaw close to her.

"Hey," Leafpaw mewed in return, padding slowly over to where her sister sat, "Has Graystripe assigned us to any patrols yet?"

"Already?" Squirrelpaw purred at her sibling with amusement, "It's barely dawn! How can you be thinking about patrols now?"

Leafpaw shrugged, flicking her ears a little in embarrassment as the other apprentices purred quietly as well as she turned her attention to the warriors den in time to see Cloudtail, Graystripe, and Ashfur leaving it one by one.

Ignoring her den-mates amusement, Leafpaw sprinted across the camp clearing, barely noticing Brambleclaw coming out of the warrior's den as well as she skidded to a halt in front of her surprised mentor. "Can I come on patrol, Graystripe?" she meowed excitedly, tail waving in the air as her amber eyes sparkled.

"Excited?" asked the gray warrior, causing the other three warriors to _mrrow _with laughter as well. Leafpaw flicked her ears again, hunching her shoulders up in a defensive position. Graystripe sighed and said, "It's alright to be excited; don't pay attention to old cats like us." He paused as his gaze raked the clearing before settling on the dark gray tom beside him. "Ashfur," he meowed, "How would you like to come hunting with Leafpaw and I?"

The young warrior blinked, obviously surprised and pleased to be asked to go hunting with the Clan deputy and his apprentice. "Sure," he mewed.

Graystripe led the way out of camp, calling to Brackenfur to assign the rest of the patrols as they entered the gorse tunnel and began climbing out the ravine.

The hunting patrol didn't go very far; they stopped near the Great Sycamore, where prey was usually easy to find. "What can you smell?" her mentor prompted.

Leafpaw paused, opening her mouth to allow the scents of the forest to bathe her senses, closing her eyes to focus. A certain scent wafted through the air, and she snapped her eyes open when she recognized it.

Grinning widely at her mentor, yet scared to make a verbal response at the possibility of scaring away prey, Leafpaw dropped into a hunter's crouch and began stalking over the ground, paws barely stirring the leaves as she got closer and closer, the scent growing stronger.

She saw it for a split second before she leaped at it, crash-landing right on top of the brown mouse that had tried to scurry back inside it's hole. "Ha!" Leafpaw crowed triumphantly, "Got you that time!"

"Well done!" Graystripe called to her, his yellow eyes full of approval as his tabby apprentice practically skipped back over to him, the mouse hanging limply from her jaws.

Ashfur appeared from behind a bush, a thrush in his jaws. "Be quieter about victory next time," he growled around the fresh-kill, "This nearly got away when you yowled! You probably scared all the prey from here to Fourtrees!"

"Oh," Leafpaw said, ears burning with shame and embarrassment as she shrank away from the irate warrior, "Sorry."

"It's alright," mewed Graystripe, stepping in front of Leafpaw defensively, "She's learning. When I was an apprentice, I had the same enthusiasm for everything she has. Come on, bury the mouse and thrush and we'll come back for them later," he added, nodding to the pieces of fresh-kill.

Leafpaw quickly scraped earth over her kill, ears still stinging from Ashfur's scathing comment. This wasn't her first time out into the forest; she needed to get a grip on herself!

But as Graystripe led the way farther into the forest, Leafpaw felt her paws prickling with excitement. '_I'll show him!_' she thought, smirking at Ashfur as she followed her mentor, '_I'll become the best hunter in the Clan, and he won't be able to do a thing about it!_'

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter isn't very good, and sorry for the long gap in between updates. I was having a little trouble deciding how I was going to write this chapter, but I finally decided on this. If you'd like to see any stories about Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw, and Skypaw's kit days in the nursery, just tell me, but for now, enjoy what you have!  
~Persephone**


	4. 1 Chapter 2: Sisters

"Skypaw?"

Light blue eyes rose from where they had been focused on the herbs the cat had been sorting patiently with his paws. "Yes, Cinderpelt?" asked Skypaw, his nose twitching from the strong scent of herbs wreathed around the medicine cat's den.

The familiar gray head of his mentor, Cinderpelt, popped out of the half-rock where her nest and most of their medicinal herbs were kept. "Could you remind me when we head out tomorrow that we need more poppy seed?" she asked.

Skypaw nodded, looking back down at his pile of herbs. "It's possible we'll need more chervil too," he added, looking up as his mentor disappeared back inside the cleft in the rock for a moment before popping out again.

"You're right; we've only got a few scraps left in here," Cinderpelt said, smiling at her apprentice with approval.

"Cinderpelt?" meowed a voice, causing both mentor and apprentice to look up as Spiderpaw appeared at the entrance of the fern tunnel. "Speckletail has a thorn in her pad, and I can't get a grip on it," he mewed sheepishly.

"Oh dear," sighed the gray she-cat, hobbling awkwardly out of her den to the distraught apprentice's side, "Alright, I'll be right there; Skypaw, could you take Ferncloud some borage leaves? Just a mouthful, she's producing enough milk on her own, but we need to make sure she keeps it up," she said over her shoulder.

The white-gray tom nodded his head and slipped into the half-rock as the medicine cat disappeared with the other apprentice. Grabbing a mouthful of borage leaves as instructed, Skypaw turned and padded back out into the sunlight and went through the fern tunnel to the main clearing.

He spotted Sorrelpaw excitedly play-fighting with Brambleclaw, one of the younger warriors she had been friends with. Rolling his eyes at their antics, Skypaw headed to the nursery and nosed his way in past the brambles, flattening his ears to keep them from being pricked by the thorny branches.

Skypaw's eyes adjusted quickly to the dark interior of the nursery. It was warm and quiet, the scent of milk heavy in the air and quickly making him sleepy. Blinking rapidly to keep himself awake, Skypaw focused on the nest on the edge of the bramble thicket, where a nest of moss protected a pale gray she-cat and her three tiny kits. A dark tabby shape was crouched beside the nest; Skypaw didn't need to be able to see clearly to know that it was Dustpelt, Ferncloud's mate and father of the three kits with her in the nest. Occasionally, the fierce warrior would lick Ferncloud on the ear in a rather surprising show of affection.

Ferncloud lazily raised her head as Skypaw entered, her green eyes fixing on him easily. "Hey there Skypaw," she mewed, smiling at him warmly as he quietly padded forward, dropping his mouthful of herbs beside the nest. Skypaw touched noses with her, his blue eyes glowing with friendliness; he had barely been an apprentice for half a moon when she had gone into labor in the middle of the night. That entire night had terrified him to no end; luckily, Cinderpelt had been able to keep him focused as they helped the queen give birth to her first litter of kits.

"Hello Ferncloud," he purred, nodding to Dustpelt respectfully, who nodded in return.

"Come to see the kits?" asked Dustpelt, his tone friendly and a bit amused, "I would've thought you'd seen them enough when you came yesterday."

Skypaw twitched his ears, shrugging his shoulders in a sign of nonchalance. "What can I say? They're the first litter I helped deliver; you tend to hold onto these sorts of things when you're a medicine cat," he said, before nudging the herbs with his paw. "Cinderpelt wanted to make sure you had some borage just in case," he said in explanation as Ferncloud sniffed the herbs curiously.

"Well, tell her thanks," Ferncloud mewed, lapping the herbs up quickly, narrowing her eyes at the bitter taste but swallowing them all.

As she ate the borage, Skypaw examined the kits carefully. There were two she-kits and a tom; one she-kit was tabby like her father, the other gray like her mother, and the tom was another tabby. "Have you decided on names yet?" he asked, raising his eyes to look at their mother as she settled back down slightly, her eyes drowsy.

"Not yet," she sighed, shaking her head and casting a dark look to her mate, "He keeps disagreeing with me."

"I just don't like the names Beechkit, Grasskit, and Oakkit; is that a problem?" asked Dustpelt, glaring right back at Ferncloud, though there was a spark of amusement in his eyes that told Skypaw he didn't actually disagree completely.

"What about Hollykit, Larchkit, and Birchkit?" Skypaw suggested, making both mates look up at him in surprise. He scuffed his paws a little in embarrassment, mindful of the nest protecting the litter as he did so.

"Hmm," hummed Ferncloud, her eyes returning to the trio with a look of contemplation. "Hollykit," she said, tapping the gray she-kit with her tail, "Larchkit," she tapped the tabby she-kit, "and Birchkit," she tapped the tom. Her green eyes glowed warmly. "I love those names!" she purred, looking to Dustpelt to see if he agreed.

Dustpelt pressed his muzzle to hers. "I love them too," he decided, lifting his head and nodding in gratitude to the medicine cat apprentice.

Skypaw's ears flicked again in embarrassment. "You don't have to name them that just to make me happy Ferncloud," he mewed awkwardly, scuffing his paws again as she grinned at him.

"Of course I don't have to, but I like the names, so that's what we're calling them!" she said forcefully, nodding with an air of finality at the end of her statement.

Skypaw nodded in acceptance, ears still burning with embarrassment as he began to back out of the brambles. "Well, if that's what you want Ferncloud, I can't stop you. Excuse me, I need to be getting back to my duties," he mewed before turning away and exiting the nursery.

He nearly ran into Brambleclaw on his way out, the huge dark tabby tom cat just barely stopping before he could run over the small white-gray apprentice. "Whoops. Sorry Skypaw," the large warrior said sheepishly, a bit ashamed for nearly flattening the future medicine cat of the Clan.

Skypaw waved his tail at the tabby dismissively. "Don't worry about it Brambleclaw. Have you seen my sisters this morning?" he asked, blue eyes fixing on the warrior's amber eyes.

Brambleclaw's ear twitched, and he looked a bit irritated. "Yes. Squirrelpaw is in front of the apprentice den, and I think Leafpaw went out with Graystripe," he mewed, and Skypaw had to bite back a purr of amusement; everyone in the Clan knew Squirrelpaw had a temper and a mouth to match, but nobody knew it like Brambleclaw. Those two got in arguments like their lives depended on it.

"Right, thanks," Skypaw mewed, edging carefully around the large warrior to avoid hitting any of the brambles to reach the clearing once again.

**_~Warriors~_**

The sun was finally setting over the camp. Skypaw stretched in the shade of the fern tunnel, content with his day of training in medicines. Cinderpelt had been teaching him about the best way to treat a broken leg and, though they'd had no broken limb to practice on, she told him he knew the basics enough that he could handle himself if anything happened when she wasn't with him.

Now, at the end of the day, Skypaw padded into the main clearing, already fully aware of Sorrelpaw's impending warrior ceremony.

"Skypaw!" cried a voice, and he looked up to see his tabby-and-white sister charging across the clearing toward him, two voles and a mouse hanging from her jaws and a triumphant gleam in her amber eyes as she skidded to a halt beside him, dropping the prey at his paws.

"Look at what I caught! Graystripe said he hasn't seen such a natural hunter since Sandstorm!" she squealed, twirling around in a circle in excitement as her brother leaned his head down to sniff the fresh-kill appreciatively. Sandstorm, their mother, was the greatest hunter in all of ThunderClan, but obviously Leafpaw wasn't satisfied with simply being the greatest hunter's daughter.

Skypaw swiped his tail over his sister's ear, purring as she squawked slightly in protest. "I'm happy for you," he said, blue eyes sparkling with affection. Long ago, the two of them had been arguing over who got to become medicine cat apprentice; Leafpaw had the enthusiasm, but Skypaw had the intuition and the skill necessary for the job. StarClan had sent word to Cinderpelt that Skypaw was the best choice, and Leafpaw was made a warrior apprentice, cheerful as always with everyone but her brother. It had been only after Skypaw had managed to help her after a sprained paw episode that she had grudgingly admitted that he definitely made a better medicine cat apprentice than she ever could be. Now, a moon and a half later, they were back to talking and joking like usual.

"Leafpaw!" Graystripe called to his apprentice, breaking Skypaw out of his reverie, "Bring that fresh-kill over to the pile and get ready for the ceremony!"

"Coming!" Leafpaw called back, snatching up one vole and the mouse. "Take it," she mumbled around the prey, "Have it after the ceremony before you go to sleep; it's the biggest thing I caught!" With that, she bounded over to her mentor and deputy and deposited her prey onto the pile for the Clan, tail waving in the air cheerily as he praised her again, this time in front of a few of the other warriors, who nodded in amusement at her energy.

Getting to his paws, Skypaw walked calmly across the clearing, looking for his mentor, when Squirrelpaw bounded up to him, cheerfully meowing a greeting. "Hi!"

Skypaw flicked his tail a little; while he and Leafpaw were close, and Leafpaw was very attached to Squirrelpaw, Skypaw wasn't nearly as affectionate with their eldest sister. It's not that he didn't like her; he simply disliked the way she treated most of the Clan's cats. She was bossy, rude, manipulative, and selfish, but when she was actually thinking with her head instead of her instincts she was quite fun to be around.

"Hey Squirrelpaw," Skypaw said cautiously, unsure of what to say to his flame-pelted sister at the moment.

"I'm totally jealous right now!" Squirrelpaw meowed, padding around her brother in circles, making him a bit dizzy as she continued, "I really, really wish this was _my _warrior ceremony! I mean, I'm really glad for Sorrelpaw, but _still!_ When I think about it, it seems my warrior ceremony is so far away! I don't think I'll be able to wait for it!"

"We all became apprentices two moons ago," Skypaw reminded her slowly, unsure of whether or not she would explode with anger or impatience, but she simply flopped onto the ground beside him, a frustrated look on her face.

"I _know, _but I want to be a warrior already! Don't you ever wish you were medicine cat already?" she asked, emerald eyes looking up at him with an anxious look.

Skypaw shook his head. "Nope, not yet. I still have too much to learn; I can't possibly be medicine cat _now,_" he meowed.

"Oh, you're no help!" Squirrelpaw moaned melodramatically, swiping a paw up to cuff him lightly on the head, making him squawk in protest as she jumped to her feet once again. "I'm going to find Spiderpaw and Shrewpaw; they'll understand!" And with that, she went charging across the clearing to where the two other apprentices were polishing off some fresh-kill together.

Skypaw's whiskers twitched as he stood uncertainly, not sure if he should be offended by her exuberant behavior or not, before sighing, rolling his sky-blue eyes upwards and muttering, "Great StarClan!" before continuing to look for his mentor.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Not completely awesome, but it's an update, and it also introduces Skypaw as the medicine cat apprentice! MWAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT ERIN HUNTER! LEAFPOOL NEVER SHOULD'VE BEEN A MEDICINE CAT; SHE SHOULD'VE BEEN A WARRIOR WITH A CHANCE AT CROWFEATHER! Ahem, excuse me….  
~Persephone**


	5. 1 Chapter 3: Omen of Disaster

Wind rushed through smoky gray-black fur as paws thundered across the open moor, blue eyes intently fixed on the tail of a rather large rabbit as it swerved left and right, trying to avoid its pursuer to no avail. Moonlight shone over the landscape as the small cat pushed himself faster and faster, racing the wind itself as he shot after his prey.

The chase came to an abrupt end when the rabbit disappeared and the cat found himself on a stretch of the moorland he didn't recognize. The earth was darker here, the grass rather coarse under-paw, with bare patches of rocky soil and small heather bushes dotted here and there. The cat, startled, whirled around, trying to see where he was, only to find a huge jagged peak above him, stretching up almost to the sky, with a dark black hole gaping open in its side. The tom cat nearly yowled aloud in shock, but was able to keep himself silent; albeit with his mouth gaping open in awe.

He had never been here before, but he had heard the stories from the young warriors and older apprentices; the entrance to the most sacred place to all the Clans, the place where medicine cats and leaders spoke with StarClan and leaders received their nine lives and 'star' names. "Mothermouth," he breathed reverently, hardly daring to believe he was here.

"Correct, Crowpaw."

Crowpaw spun around once again, his fur bristling with shock and apprehension as he spotted three rather imposing cats sitting behind him, calmly watching his reaction to seeing the holy place. Two she-cats and a tom, according to their scent, and Crowpaw narrowed his eyes in suspicion; he didn't know who they were, but they all carried the scent of WindClan. Warily, he forced his fur to lie flat across his shoulders, though he kept himself in a battle-ready position just in case.

The tom, a black cat with grey eyes, who sat on the middle-cat's left side, purred with amusement. "What did I tell you, Wind?" he meowed, "Good instincts, a born fighter. You should be proud of your descendant."

The middle she-cat, a small, wiry brown she-cat with yellow eyes, snorted and flicked her tail dismissively. "He possesses potential, nothing more, Deadfoot, and you know it," she said.

The last cat – a she-cat with soft white fur and stormy green eyes – who sat on Wind's right, flicked her ears at the two with something like exasperation in her gaze. "Please, we are not here to argue over him," she said calmly, "We are here to give him a message."

"Yes, yes, Mothflight, we know," grumbled Wind, who seemed rather annoyed to have been reprimanded by the she-cat.

Meanwhile, while they were talking to each other, Crowpaw had frozen in shock. Wind; Mothflight; Deadfoot; these weren't just any other cat's names. He'd heard the legends from the time of his kithood. Wind, the first leader and founder of WindClan; Mothflight, the first medicine cat of any Clan _ever; _and Deadfoot, the courageous former WindClan deputy who had died saving an apprentice from the monsters on the Thunderpath – and the cat whom also happened to be his father. These three cats had become legendary, regarded as some of the greatest warriors and medicine cat of their times, and somehow they had appeared _here. _In front of _him._ Great StarClan, he couldn't believe it!

"Crowpaw," Deadfoot meowed, breaking the apprentice out of his shock and disbelief.

Crowpaw immediately straightened out of his battle position, plopping down onto his rear end and sitting up straight, staring at the StarClan cats square in the eye, without a single sign of fear or aggression.

"We have an important message for you," mewed Mothflight, her green eyes taking on a sad, glazed sheen that looked suspiciously like tears, and Crowpaw felt a shiver of dread run down his spine.

"What message? Why are you giving it to me? Is there something wrong with Tallstar or Barkface?" Crowpaw asked, feeling his hackles rise with tension as he thought of the Clan's leader or medicine cat being in danger.

"No, no, everything's fine; they're both fine," Deadfoot mewed quickly, placing his one good front paw forward to reassure his son. Crowpaw forced his fur to lie flat once again, though the tension did not fade from his shoulders as Wind took a long, painful looking breath, her yellow eyes fixed on something far off that he could not see.

"Great danger is coming," she began, and the sounds of the night – crickets, squeaking critters, the wind itself – all hushed at her ominous tone. "All Four of the Clans are in grave peril. A new prophecy must be fulfilled if the Clans are to survive. _Darkness, Air, Water, and Sky will come together, and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before._"

Crowpaw felt a horrible, dark feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he could sense the danger before he saw it. "What do you mean?" he asked shakily, "What danger? What is it? Where is it coming from?"

"You have been chosen," Mothflight spoke as if she had not heard his questions, "Along with three other cats, to meet at the new moon. You must go and hear what midnight tells you."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Crowpaw exclaimed, jumping to his feet, his blue eyes blazing with terror and confusion. "What cats?! And how can midnight tell us anything?!"

"All will be made clear to you soon, my son," murmured Deadfoot, his grey eyes filled with fatherly affection and remorse as he gazed at the apprentice, "Just know that I shall stand beside you every step of the way."

His voice echoed strangely, as if coming from a place far beneath the ground, as if he were speaking from inside the tunnels of Mothermouth itself. The three ancient, starry warriors began to fade along with the moonlight, allowing dark shadows to stretch out from the sacred cave behind him and begin to engulf him in their cold embrace.

"WAIT!" Crowpaw yowled, struggling to be free of the darkness surrounding him, "Come back! Father! What do you mean?! What's going to happen?!"

For a moment, green eyes flashed in the shadows, and Mothflight's heathery scent filled his nostrils. "_There will be Three, kin of Fire's kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. The Crow's feather will meet the Leaf's pool, and the Clans shall never be the same again. _Have faith, Crowpaw; I shall guard you with my life, and defend your honor when every other cat doubts you. Your beloved will be safe with my guidance, remember that," mewed her voice, filled with gentle love and care, before her presence faded, and there was nothing left but blackness.

**_~Warriors~_**

"Crowpaw! Wake up, you mousebrain!"

The smoky gray-black apprentice jerked awake and shot to his feet in two heartbeats, claws out and eyes narrowed dangerously, ready to fight off the danger he could still feel on the horizon.

But it turned out his rage and fear were unnecessary; standing in front of him, looking quite taken aback with his brother's sudden fury was Stonepaw, Crowpaw's younger littermate, his dark gray paw still raised as if to poke his brother awake even though he already was up and alert enough to take down a whole ShadowClan patrol.

Crowpaw froze in shock, staring at his younger brother in bewilderment. '_It was…. A dream?_' he though, dumbfounded. Had that whole meeting been a simple hallucination brought on by bad fresh-kill from the night before? No. _No way. _That whole exchange had been far too real for it to have come from his imagination. But, the more Crowpaw thought about it, the more incredulous he became. '_Why would StarClan choose a young, inexperienced apprentice who's been in training for five moons to save the Clans from disaster?_' a doubtful voice asked in the back of his head, and Crowpaw couldn't help but agree with it.

"Uh….." Stonepaw's awkward mew broke Crowpaw out of his thoughts, and he realized idly that he still appeared ready to rip his brother's fur off.

Forcing himself to relax, Crowpaw lowered his hackles and straightened his ears, sheathing his claws and opening his eyes from the angry slits they had been. "What?!" he snapped at his littermate, unwilling to explain why he was so on edge.

Stonepaw flinched, looking both shocked and afraid as he drew his paw back, away from where Crowpaw could reach it and possibly harm it. "M-Mudclaw wanted you to go out on the dawn patrol with him and Tornear," he stuttered, lowering his gray eyes – so much like their father's – to the ground in a sign of submission.

Crowpaw sniffed haughtily, shoving his bizarre dream to the back of his mind as he stalked moodily out of the private sleeping-place the apprentices usually slept in, under the open sky on clear nights like all WindClan cats did.

As he exited the sleeping place, he spotted his mentor and Clan deputy, Mudclaw, assigning several WindClan warriors to a water-gathering and hunting patrol as the harsh greenleaf sun already began to bake the earth as it appeared on the horizon.

Crowpaw stalked across the clearing, tail flicking and blue eyes filled with the same fierce pride and determination they always were. '_Who care about dreams and omens?_' he thought darkly, '_My life is in the waking world, not in the darkness of made-up prophecies and nonexistent danger._'

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: And we finally get Crowpaw's POV! WHOO! He's going to be playing a major role, as he is the subject of at least two prophecies – along with Leafpaw, but no cat knows that yet except Mothflight. If you're wondering why Mothflight is OOC, it's because that, to me, as the first medicine cat, Mothflight is the most powerful cat in StarClan besides the founders. She sees what others cannot see, the far future and distant past combined in her gaze. She will be the one that guides the prophecy cats beyond the territories they perceive and lead them to their destinies. Also, she is the one that creates almost every single prophecy in the series in this fic; she gave the prophecy of the Three to Skywatcher, and she saw the Twoleg's destruction of the forest before any other StarClan cat even perceived it. She will be a major character, though not as important since she's stuck in StarClan right now.  
P.S. Yes, I know I used lines from the book in this chapter, but what do you expect?! The message the chosen cats got was all the same, it's just that Crowpaw was visited by more than just Deadfoot this time around. OK, I think I'm going to stop this long-winded author's note here and say bye!  
~Persephone**


	6. 1 Chapter 4: Badger

Leafpaw awoke at dawn as she usually did, energy already coursing through her as her dream of another hunt gave her a strong kick of adrenaline. It had been several days since Sorrelpaw's warrior ceremony. Sorrelpaw – now named Sorreltail, as she loved to remind anyone who forgot – now slept in the warriors den, though she still cheerfully chatted with the apprentices whenever she had the time.

Leafpaw stretched her sleep-weary muscles before padding outside of the fern clump that was the apprentice's den into the main clearing, spotting her mentor quickly. He was assigning patrols again, though there were more warriors clumped around him this morning. "Thornclaw, take Ashfur and Brambleclaw to Snakerocks," the gray deputy meowed as Leafpaw padded closer. "Cinderpelt and Skypaw need more chervil, and the best supply is there. You need to make sure it's safe for them to go. Actually," he paused as he spotted his apprentice, "-take Leafpaw and Shrewpaw with you as well."

"W-wha?!" Leafpaw stammered, amber eyes growing huge like an owl's as she stared at her mentor, "Why me?! And why can't I go with you?!"

"I'm hunting near Fourtrees; you've been there before," Graystripe mewed calmly, "This will be good experience for whenever you need to hunt near Snakerocks. Brambleclaw," he continued, turning to the tabby warrior, "I'm leaving her in your capable paws. Think you can handle it?"

The large tabby cat looked startled at suddenly acquiring the responsibility of the Clan deputy's apprentice, but he nodded after a moment of thought. "Sure thing Graystripe. I'll keep an eye on her," he said.

**_~Warriors~_**

Thornclaw led the way through the forest, Shrewpaw just behind him with Ashfur beside him, and Brambleclaw and Leafpaw at the rear of the patrol. Leafpaw couldn't help but feel a little wary of the large warrior; young though he may be, he was big enough to flatten a cat her size with one paw.

"Watch out for adders when we get there," he mewed as they trotted along, following their Clan-mates through the undergrowth, "They're fast little crowfood-eaters. They're hard to avoid if you get too close."

Leafpaw nodded absently, not bothering to mention she already knew what to do if she saw an adder; Brambleclaw, as one of the youngest warriors, had never had an apprentice, and Leafpaw didn't want to crush his teaching abilities by pointing out some cats weren't as dumb as others.

As they continued, Leafpaw began to hear subtle noises behind them – a pawstep here, a creaking branch there – and opened her mouth to scent whoever it was. Before she could do anything, though, Brambleclaw came to a stop and turned around, his amber eyes filled with irritation. "Come out Squirrelpaw," he meowed, glaring at the bushes until the ginger-colored cat stepped out of the bracken.

Leafpaw stared at her sister in surprise as her emerald eyes blazed defiantly at Brambleclaw.

"What's going on?" asked Thornclaw, padding back to stand beside Brambleclaw as Shrewpaw and Ashfur joined them. Ashfur's eyes lit up a little at the sight of the flame-pelted apprentice, but Shrewpaw stared at her with the same amount of disbelief as Leafpaw.

"I heard something behind us. She must've followed us from camp," Brambleclaw explained, flicking his tail at Squirrelpaw.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Squirrelpaw hissed, eyes narrowed into slits.

"You _shouldn't _be here!" Leafpaw spat, her surprise evaporating and being replaced by annoyance at her sister's foolish actions. "Do you realize what you're doing?! Does anyone even know where you are?!"

"Of course not," Squirrelpaw huffed hotly; looking ruffled at feeling her sister's barbed tongue. "They wouldn't have let me come if they knew what I was doing."

"Of course not, mousebrain!" Leafpaw snapped, amber eyes blazing just as much as her sisters were, "You weren't assigned to any patrols! You were supposed to train with Dustpelt today!"

"Every cat in the Clan knows he never leaves Ferncloud's side these days!" Squirrelpaw spat back at her, "And I haven't been on patrol in _ages. _I just wanted to come along."

"Dustpelt has relaxed a little since the kits opened their eyes," Shrewpaw pointed out, the small dark brown tom suddenly jumping right into the sibling's argument to defend his father, "He might be looking for you. Squirrelpaw, you could get into some serious trouble if he can't find you. You should go back to camp."

"Who asked you?! You're not a warrior, so don't think you can boss me around!" Squirrelpaw snarled furiously.

"Silence! All three of you, be _quiet!_" Thornclaw suddenly yowled at them, making Squirrelpaw and Shrewpaw jump and Leafpaw shrink a little from the amount of restrained anger in his voice.

The three apprentices flattened their ears in shame as the eldest warrior on the patrol glared at them, with Brambleclaw and Ashfur adding their own dark looks to the mix as well to make things worse.

"Squirrelpaw, you shouldn't have left the camp without permission. You were not ordered to go on this patrol; therefore, you shouldn't even be here. I think you should head back to camp," Thornclaw meowed coolly.

Squirrelpaw sat up straight, green eyes still defiant. "There's no reason why I shouldn't come; shouldn't I get experience being around Snakerocks too?!" she asked haughtily.

Thornclaw seemed to think this over, and Leafpaw realized what he must be contemplating; if Squirrelpaw wasn't allowed to come along, she might just sneak over to Snakerocks when they were gone. Leafpaw didn't doubt her tenacious sister would do this; she had enough stubborn pride that she wouldn't let any warrior besides her mentor, deputy and leader order her around.

"Fine, you can come," Thornclaw said flatly, raising his tail to silence Brambleclaw's protests before they even started, "But don't expect me or any of the others to help you when Dustpelt turns you into crowfood when we get back."

"Thanks, Thornclaw!" Squirrelpaw mewed cheerfully, tail shooting up as she jumped to her paws, casting a smug glance in the direction of the other apprentices.

"Come on, we've wasted enough daylight as it is," Thornclaw meowed irritably, turning and bounding through the undergrowth, leaving the younger cats to scramble after him hastily.

The journey to Snakerocks continued in silence, Leafpaw ignoring her sister in favor of keeping up with Brambleclaw. When the smooth, round shapes of the infamous stones appeared through the trees, Leafpaw slowed to a halt, opening her mouth to scent the air, and jumped in surprise as Squirrelpaw charged past her.

"Come on! Don't tell me you're scared of adders!" she teased her.

"Stop!" Thornclaw cried, grabbing the apprentice by the scruff of her neck as she nearly overtook him and burst into the clearing around the stones. He dropped her when she stopped flailing her paws to try and carry her forwards, eyes wide with shock. "Hasn't Dustpelt ever taught you to scent the area to check for danger?" he asked her, giving a leveled glare as she shifted in embarrassment.

"Of course he has," she muttered.

"Then start acting like you have ears to listen to him with!" Thornclaw meowed, turning from the ginger apprentice to the two more obedient apprentices nearby.

"What can you smell?" he prompted them.

Leafpaw and Shrewpaw lifted their heads, both scenting the air carefully. "Mouse," mewed Shrewpaw, amber eyes sparkling with hunger at the mention of food, "Can we hunt, Thornclaw?"

"In a bit, Shrewpaw. Anything else?" Thornclaw asked, his whiskers twitching a little as his apprentice smelled again.

"The Thunderpath; over there," meowed Leafpaw, pointing her tail in the direction of the accursed stench, "And a Twoleg with a dog, but that's old they were here yesterday, most likely."

"Very good," Thornclaw mewed, looking impressed with the tabby-and-white apprentice, and Leafpaw curled her tail up in delight at the praise. Shrewpaw shot her a mock glare, for which she shoved him playfully.

"There's something else though," Squirrelpaw suddenly spoke up, her lip curled in distaste as the other cats looked at her in surprise, "A horrible scent…. I don't think I've smelled it before."

The three warriors lifted their heads as one, each sniffing the air suspiciously as Squirrelpaw looked around them, as if looking for something she couldn't see.

"Badger," Ashfur growled as he identified the scent.

"Looks like it moved into the old dog den," Thornclaw added, nodding to the large cave in the middle of Snakerocks where a pack of wild, rabid dogs had once lived and nearly tore ThunderClan apart.

"Just our luck!" groaned Brambleclaw, digging his long sharp claws into the ground beneath him.

"Why, what's a badger?" asked Leafpaw, turning her head to one side in a questioning way. She'd heard of the creatures, but she'd never seen one before yet.

"They're a big problem!" Ashfur exclaimed, his tail lashing as his eyes blazed.

"They'd kill a cat as soon as look at it, for no other reason than to do it," snarled Brambleclaw.

Thornclaw padded cautiously into the clearing, avoiding the biggest rocks where an adder could easily hide in a wide crack, and sniffed warily in the cave entrance. "Dark as a fox's heart, but the badger doesn't seem to be home," he reported, backing away from it as he said this.

As he spoke, Leafpaw suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her spine as a sour scent suddenly landed on her tongue. Whipping around, Leafpaw saw a black-and-white face appear in the undergrowth a few fox-lengths away. "BADGER!" she yowled, and the cats scattered.

Ashfur and Shrewpaw disappeared into the bushes while Thornclaw bounded toward the safety of the surrounding forest. Brambleclaw snagged Squirrelpaw by the scruff of her neck and dragged her, yowling in fury, toward the treeline. Leafpaw managed to get to the edge of the clearing and dart up a tree, her fur bristling with terror as she climbed almost halfway up before stopping, chest heaving for air.

The badger lumbered into full view, twisting its head back and forth as it smelled the group of cats that had invaded its den. It blundered back and forth threateningly, squinting as if unsure of where the intruders had gone. Leafpaw realized it couldn't see very well; it probably came out mainly during nighttime to hunt and forage. Seeming to give up on finding the cats, the badger lumbered into its den.

Leafpaw slithered down the tree, forcing her fur to lay flat as she got down and pelted toward where she'd seen the others disappear, unwilling to stay so close to Snakerocks alone with a badger around. Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw she found first, hiding under a rather large bramble bush. They both crawled out from under it, both looking ruffled.

"That was much closer than I'd like," huffed a voice, and Thornclaw carefully climbed down from where he had also climbed a tree. "Where are Ashfur and Shrewpaw?"

"Over here!" Ashfur called, his gray head popping out of a tangle of briars. Shrewpaw struggled out of it beside him, wincing as the thorns snagged on his fur.

"Do you think that's the same badger that killed Willowpelt last leaf-bare?" meowed Brambleclaw, casting a dark glare through the bushes to Snakerocks.

"Perhaps. Cloudtail and Mousefur managed to drive it away from camp, but we never found out where it went," Thornclaw growled, flexing his claws as if imagining digging them into the black-and-white fur of the badger.

Leafpaw felt a cold pang of remorse; she had never met Willowpelt, who had died a few moons before she was born, but she knew that the queen had been Sorreltail, Rainwhisker and Sootfur's mother, and that she had died before seeing her kits become warriors.

"So what now? Do we go and kill it? Six cats against one badger sounds like a fair balance," mewed Squirrelpaw, her eyes gleaming at the prospect of a fight.

Ashfur's eyes widened. "Squirrelpaw, you _never _enter a badger's den! Or a fox's! There's no room to maneuver in a fight, and you could get trapped in a corner!" he meowed, staring at her as if she had suggested they jump to the moon.

"But-"

"_No. _We head back to camp and report it to Firestar," Thornclaw decided, cutting off the ginger she-cat before she could begin begging nonsense.

"Hmm," Squirrelpaw sniffed, eyes filled with defiance once again, "Well, Firestar won't leave a badger on ThunderClan land!" she mewed, padding on the path back to camp with her tail in the air. Rolling his eyes, Thornclaw followed and overtook her.

As the others disappeared after them, Leafpaw raised her eyes to the sky and muttered, "Great StarClan, what will I do with her?!" before following.

**_~Warriors~_**

When they returned to the camp, Dustpelt was pacing outside the apprentice den, his tail lashing angrily. Whitepaw and Spiderpaw were watching him apprehensively, both too afraid to try and console him.

When he saw Squirrelpaw, Dustpelt stalked across the clearing to glare down at his apprentice. "Well?" he snarled. Leafpaw and Shrewpaw – and, to Leafpaw's surprise, Brambleclaw and Ashfur – all shrank at the sound of the anger dripping from the dark tabby's growl. "What have you got to say for yourself?!"

Squirrelpaw met his glare evenly, but her voice quavered as she mewed, "I went on patrol, Dustpelt."

"Oh, on patrol! I _see. _Well, who ordered you to go on patrol, hmm? Firestar? Graystripe?"

"No cat ordered me, I just thought-"

"No, you _didn't _think," Dustpelt meowed icily. "I told you we'd be training today, and you disappeared. Mousefur and Brackenfur took Whitepaw and Spiderpaw out to practice battle moves. We could've joined them, but instead every cat here has been going out of their minds combing the camp to find you."

Squirrelpaw looked down, scuffing her paws on the ground awkwardly. Leafpaw felt a small twinge of pity, but she squashed it before it could truly bloom. '_She deserves this. You can't go off without telling anyone without consequences,_' she thought to herself firmly. Dustpelt continued his tirade, not even stopping for breath as Squirrelpaw seemed to shrink more and more into the ground.

"It's about time you learned what being an apprentice truly means. You can spend the rest of the day caring for the elders' bring them fresh-kill, change their bedding, and look them over for ticks." Dustpelt flicked his ears a bit. "I'm sure your brother can supply you with plenty of mouse-bile."

Squirrelpaw's jaw dropped with dismay. "Oh, _gross!_" she wailed.

"Well? What are you doing still standing here? Go on!" Dustpelt snapped, gesturing to the fallen tree of the elder's den with a flick of his tail.

Squirrelpaw clenched her jaw, and Leafpaw was afraid she might go on a tangent of her own, but her sister's ears just drooped as she turned and padded toward the elder's den, looking dejected.

Thornclaw and Ashfur began to discuss the issue of the badger with the older warrior. Leafpaw and Shrewpaw shared a glance before heading to the apprentice den. As she went, Leafpaw noticed Brambleclaw look after Squirrelpaw sympathetically for a moment before darting after her, and though she was further away, she could clearly tell he was offering to help with the chores. Shaking her head in exasperation at her sister's foolish choice, Leafpaw plopped herself down next to the tree stump beside the apprentice den, hoping for a nap before she was called to do anything else.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Ah, tsk tsk Squirrelpaw! You should never piss off Dustpelt! LOL. Sorry if I made Squirrelpaw out to be too annoying, but I absolutely ****_hated _****her when she was first introduced because she was so unbelievably ****_annoying _****and ****_stupid _****and ****_GAH!_**** So….. yeah, don't be surprised if there' s a little Squirrel hate in here until she mellows out and is less annoying. OH! BTW: I'm not sure who Squirrelpaw should end up with in this fic; Brambleclaw, Stormfur, or Ashfur? I leave the choice up to you guys; there's a poll on my profile where you can vote for who you to win. I'll see you all next chapter!  
~Persephone**


	7. 1 Chapter 5: Meeting in Dreams

Skypaw sighed as his flame-colored sister stalked out of the medicine den, clutching a twig holding a ball of mouse-bile soaked moss in her teeth. "Honestly, if she actually thought about the consequences of her actions, she'd be doing fine," he muttered, cleaning up the remaining mouse-bile carefully with his paws.

"Too true," sighed Cinderpelt, who padded into the clearing smelling of thyme and marigold. "Be sure not to get any on your fur. You'll have to wash it in the stream outside camp if you do," she warned her apprentice as he carefully got rid of the foul liquid.

"No, I'm fine Cinderpelt," he mewed, sniffing his paws to double check and, satisfied that there really was no mouse-bile on him, he backed away from it, trying to force it's scent from his nostrils by sniffing the herbs.

"Good. You've done enough for today; you can rest up for the Gathering tonight if you want," Cinderpelt mewed, swiping her tail over his ear as his eyes widened in excitement.

"I can go?" he asked.

"Of course; medicine cats hardly ever leave their apprentices behind when a Gathering happens unless something's wrong," Cinderpelt mewed in amusement, hobbling over to the fern tunnel and looking over her shoulder to smile at him. "I'll get us something to eat and be right back; you can rearrange the marigold leaves, alright?"

Skypaw nodded and, when his mentor left, he set to his task diligently, setting the herbs in a proper line to be picked up easily when needed until Cinderpelt returned, carrying a plump rabbit for them to share. After eating in companionable silence, Cinderpelt set about doing a few last chores while Skypaw padded into his nest and curled up, wanting to get some sleep before the Gathering.

**_~Warriors~_**

"Hello Skypaw."

The white-gray apprentice blinked sky-blue eyes open, confusion filling him as he looked around. He was on a bare stretch of moorland, clearly WindClan territory, with no memory of how he got there. '_What in StarClan-?_' he started to think, before realizing some cat was sitting near him.

Springing to his paws, Skypaw locked eyes with the white she-cat, her green eyes sparkling with both amusement and starlight as she smiled at him.

"Who are you, if I may ask?" asked Skypaw warily. He had seen StarClan cats before on his trips to the Moonstone every half-moon, but never when he was at camp.

"I am Mothflight. Peace, dear friend, for I have only come to talk," she said calmly.

Skypaw felt his jaw drop in disbelief. Mothflight. _Mothflight. The _Mothflight. The very first medicine cat of the Clans! Skypaw quickly dipped his head lowly in the utmost respect that he had never shown to any cat _ever, _not to Cinderpelt, his mentor, or even to Firestar, his own father and Clan leader.

"What do you need of me?" he asked humbly, meeting her stormy eyes evenly after he had straightened.

Mothflight's ears flicked with amusement, and she purred. "There is no need for such awe from you, dear friend, but we can discuss your manners later. For now, I need you to deliver a message," she mewed, her voice turning serious.

"Message?" Skypaw echoed.

"Yes, message. I have spoken with a young cat and told him of his destiny, but he refuses to trust in my words, thinking he is unworthy of my attention. You must convince him otherwise," Mothflight meowed.

"What? Why?" Skypaw asked, a little lost.

Mothflight's tail twitched a bit in irritation. "He refuses to believe me, blaming his visions of me on bad fresh-kill and late night hallucinations. Honestly, I cannot blame him; he is an unlikely choice, even if his future is a path of greatness. You must help me convince him to heed my warnings," she said.

"How am I supposed to do that? And who is he, anyway?" Skypaw asked, completely bewildered.

"His name is Crowpaw. He is an apprentice of WindClan," stated Mothflight, as if that should be obvious.

"WindClan?! Why can't you tell Barkface to convince him?" Skypaw asked, cringing as he realized how disrespecting his tone sounded.

Mothflight's tail lashed, though she seemed more agitated by his words rather than his manners. "I cannot. Barkface is a loyal medicine cat, a very good one; however, he cannot learn of Crowpaw's destiny, for he may tell Tallstar, and then the entire situation would escalate into a huge misunderstanding and someone might just end up dead. I need someone else, someone young, someone who can keep a secret; you are the only possible choice, Skypaw," she said.

Skypaw felt his eyebrows rise, but he said nothing. He had no idea what to think; he was supposed to help an enemy Clan's apprentice discover a great destiny that might just end in bloodshed if the wrong cats found out about it?

"Please, Skypaw," Mothflight mewed, her green eyes pleading him to agree, to his shock, "You are my only hope; if Crowpaw does not believe me, he shall not discover the path of his destiny! You must help him, if not for my sake, than for the sake of the Four Clans!"

Skypaw reeled back in shock. Was this mysterious apprentice a part of a prophecy? Was he going to save the forest like his own father had moons ago in the battle against BloodClan? Skypaw thought this over quickly, not meeting Mothflight's pleading eyes. If the threat was anywhere near BloodClan's strength, he really had no choice in the matter; the Clans would fall if he refused.

"When must I meet him? What must I tell him?" he meowed, decision made.

Mothflight's eyes filled with gratitude. "Oh, thank you Skypaw! He shall be at the Gathering tonight with his Clan; simply draw him away from the others and tell him this, word for word: '_What Mothflight says is true. Meet the three others on the new moon, and all will be revealed._' Got it?"

Skypaw repeated her statement back to her to ensure he had it memorized. "But what if he still doesn't believe me? I might be a medicine cat apprentice, but I'm from a rival Clan; he'll probably just think I've lost my head in the clouds," he mewed worriedly.

Mothflight beamed at him, running her tail over his flank gently. "Worry not, dear friend; I shall be beside you tonight. I will give you the words to say if he fails to see the truth," she mewed reassuringly before the dream began to fade.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Mothflight appears once more to speak to Skypaw, our dear medicine cat apprentice! Will Crowpaw believe him? Or will he think the next ThunderClan medicine cat has a head full of fluff? Find out next time!  
~Persephone**


	8. 1 Chapter 6: First Met in Moonlight

The full moon shined bright above, bathing the moors in moonlight as the WindClan group left the camp and raced full-pelt across the open ground. Crowpaw raced alongside Stonepaw and Nightpaw, a well-muscled black she-cat. Ahead of them, Mudclaw, Crowpaw's mentor, and Webfoot, another warrior, sped along on the trail, following in Tallstar's wake as he raced ahead of the whole group, his long legs giving him an advantage.

They didn't pause at the edge of hollow to wait like other Clans did; instead they shot straight into Fourtrees, the cats fanning out to move throughout the clearing. They were the first cats there – no surprise there – but Crowpaw could already scent the fishy smell of RiverClan on the breeze. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell of fish, but the scent of freshwater taunted him, making his mouth go dry. The moors were drying up under the harsh glare of the greenleaf sun, leaving the Clan cats parched and thirsty all the time. Crowpaw didn't like admitting it, but he hoped RiverClan's leader Leopardstar agreed to let them drink from the river in their territory, no matter how humiliating it was to ask for help from another Clan.

RiverClan appeared soon after he was done thinking, their own cats spreading through the hollow and mingling with WindClan cats, meowing greetings to friends they hadn't seen in a moon.

Stonepaw and Nightpaw padded off to chat with some young RiverClan warriors, but Crowpaw remained where he was, a little unsure of what to do; he never truly enjoyed Gatherings, having no friends in any of the other Clans to talk to. Or so he thought.

"Hey there," mewed a voice, and suddenly a very pretty silver RiverClan she-cat padded up to him, a darker gray tom following after her.

"Hello," Crowpaw said coolly, his blue eyes narrowed a bit in suspicion.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you; I just saw you sitting away from everyone, and I thought you needed someone to talk to," the she-cat said, her own water-blue eyes filled with curious friendliness. The tom behind her seemed a bit awkward, his amber eyes looking around them at the other cats.

Crowpaw felt his shoulders hunch defensively at her words. "I don't need your help," he muttered, trying to keep from yelling the words indignantly; he was rude, but he wasn't_ that _rude.

The tom narrowed his eyes, drawing his lips back in a snarl of irritation, but the silver she-cat merely rested her tail on his shoulder to silence him before he could snap at the apprentice. "Of course you don't; I merely thought you'd like to have a conversation with someone not in your Clan," she mewed calmly, still friendly.

Crowpaw blinked at her briefly in surprise, but before he could respond, the gray tom raised his head and announced to the she-cat, "I smell ThunderClan."

The silver she-cat lit up even more, a smile spreading across her face quite quickly. "You go ahead and find Mistyfoot, I'll be right behind you!" she mewed, and the tom disappeared into the crowd. She turned back to Crowpaw, looking sheepish and apologetic. "I'm sorry – what was your name?" she asked.

"Crowpaw," he said a bit sulkily as he realized she was about to leave.

"Crowpaw; I'm Feathertail, and that was my brother Stormfur. I'm really sorry, but my father is coming and I need to see him. Perhaps we could talk at the next Gathering?" she asked, her tone oddly sincere.

Crowpaw blinked, surprised – '_Her father is from ThunderClan?_' – then reluctantly nodded his head at her.

She beamed at him widely before turning away, weaving through the mass of cats toward where her brother disappeared as another group of cats came pouring into the clearing, led by a handsome ginger tom that could be no cat other than Firestar, the ThunderClan leader and savior of the forest Clans at the battle of BloodClan all those seasons ago.

Crowpaw shifted slightly on his paws as the ThunderClan cats spread out among the RiverClan and WindClan cats. All he wanted to do was disappear from the Gathering and head back to the camp on the moorland and sleep, but he knew if he did that there would be two consequences: Mudclaw would tear his fur off and he would dream of Mothflight again. The white she-cat kept popping up in his dreams in unexpected ways; in a hunting dream he would find himself standing over his prey with her looking down at him with an amused expression; in a nightmare she would come and attack whatever was trying to hurt him; in random dreams where he simply walked along on the moorland, she would appear and walk beside him, her green eyes sparkling with great affection. Occasionally during the dreams where she simply walked with him Deadfoot would join them, and Crowpaw couldn't deny he was happy to see his dead father; however, the number of times these odd hallucinations appeared to him disturbed him. He obviously couldn't eat bad fresh-kill _every single night, _so, did that mean something was wrong in his head?

'_Don't even think that way mousebrain,_' Crowpaw reprimanded himself sharply, '_We don't need to add paranoia to worry, because every cat knows that'll just make everything worse._'

A group of ThunderClan apprentices approached him, though they seemed to be aiming towards the group of RiverClan apprentices behind him. However, for the second time that night, one of the group actually approached _him, _ignoring the happily chatting RiverClan cats and stopping in front of him.

"Hello," the she-cat mewed. She was small, probably recently apprenticed by the look of it. She was a tabby with a white chest and paws and amber eyes that glinted at him curiously.

"Hi," he mewed back awkwardly; she wasn't as pretty as the silver RiverClan cat, but this apprentice had an air about her that seemed to draw attention to her without her having to try. It made him a bit uncomfortable, yet also intrigued him a bit.

"What are you doing over here by yourself?" she asked casually, eyes half lidded yet fixed intently on his face.

Crowpaw flicked his tail dismissively. "I'm not the most social cat in the Clans," he muttered, ducking his head a bit.

The tabby-and-white ThunderClan apprentice flicked her ears, blinking at him in understanding. "It's kinda hard to get along with cats from other Clans," she meowed, nodding her head as if she knew all about the subject, "I know I don't like ShadowClan cats that much, and RiverClan smell so much like fish they could _be _fish."

Crowpaw couldn't help a snort of laughter at her words, and she grinned when she accomplished amusing him. "And we ThunderClan cats can smell like pine and leaves, which isn't too bad if you're used to it I guess. WindClan cats smell like heather and rabbits, which is pretty good if you ask me," she continued, and stopped when Crowpaw snorted again, but this time in a haughty way.

"At least you don't think we smell like dust and dirt; a ShadowClan cat said that's what we smell like last time I was here," he meowed, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"Well, he must be jealous, because I think you smell just fine!" the she-cat purred in a friendly manner, and the two of them purred with amusement.

Crowpaw took a careful sniff and said, "You don't smell half bad yourself; pine and leaves just like you said."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to stick around Tallpines more often next time we come here," she mewed, a smile still widely plastered to her face with no sign of leaving it anytime soon.

"I don't think I ever caught your name," Crowpaw suddenly meowed, looking at the tabby-and-white she-cat as she blinked, looking confused, which cleared into another smile.

"Leafpaw," she mewed.

"Crowpaw," he replied, nodding his head to her. She returned the gesture quietly. They stayed in companionable silence for a while, sitting side by side, watching the cats move about the hollow. "Geez, what is Blackstar waiting for?" Crowpaw suddenly muttered, yawning rather obnoxiously, "It's halfway to moonhigh by now!"

"I know!" Leafpaw squeaked, getting to her paws, "We can go say hi to my brother while we wait! He's Cinderpelt's apprentice, which means he's going to be a medicine cat; I'm sure he'd probably like to meet you! He said Barkface was nice, so he'll like you too!" She butted her head against his shoulder playfully. "Come on! Before ShadowClan get here and ruin it!"

Crowpaw didn't know why he let her boss him around – usually he'd claw a cat's ears off if they dared to speak to him that way – but he didn't mind so much when Leafpaw did it. He got to his paws and followed the she-cat, who was skipping excitedly through the crowd toward the base of the Great Rock where the medicine cats and deputies usually sat during Gatherings. As they went, Crowpaw spotted the ThunderClan deputy Graystripe and the RiverClan deputy Mistyfoot talking to each other with the other RiverClan cats, Stormfur and Feathertail nearby.

"Skypaw! Come meet my new friend!" Leafpaw mewed excitedly, making Crowpaw look around her. In front of them, Crowpaw recognized the ThunderClan medicine cat Cinderpelt speaking with his own Clan's medicine cat Barkface. A small white tom with gray flecks running through his fur sat beside them. He looked up and blinked as his sister padded toward him with the WindClan apprentice behind her.

"New friend?" he asked, getting up and meeting them halfway, a little bit away from the medicine cats. "I thought you didn't like WindClan apprentices."

Crowpaw bristled slightly at his words, but Leafpaw interrupted him before he could snarl a few choice words at him. "I said I didn't like _certain _WindClan apprentices," she corrected her sibling, casting a dark look through the crowd. Crowpaw followed her gaze to see Nightpaw chatting merrily with a RiverClan apprentice halfway across the hollow. Now _that _was something he could agree with; Nightpaw was nice sometimes, but the rest of the time she was bossy, rude, annoying, and just generally unpleasant to everyone and everything in sight.

"Anyway," she meowed quickly, "This is my brother Skypaw; Skypaw, this is my friend Crowpaw."

Skypaw started at his name, staring at the WindClan apprentice in what seemed to be shock. Crowpaw flicked his ears nervously, but before he could ask what was wrong, a cry of, "ShadowClan is here!" rang through the hollow, and the dark ShadowClan cats poured into the crowd.

Skypaw, who seemed to have been shocked out of his reverie, quickly mewed, "Feel free to sit with me until the Gathering is over; Cinderpelt won't mind."

"Thanks!" Leafpaw meowed, and plopped onto the ground right next to her sibling. Crowpaw still stood, feeling a bit awkward, when she looked over and smiled at him. "You can stay too Crowpaw; there's no problem."

So, feeling apprehensive yet compliant at the same time, the smoky gray WindClan apprentice sat with the tabby-and-white she-cat and gray-white tom apprentices of ThunderClan, unaware of the ripples of destiny intertwining around them.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Ah, the lovebirds have finally met! SQUEE! :D Next chapter will probably be really short, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!  
~Persephone**


	9. 1 Chapter 7: Negotiations

Blackstar appeared, bounding through the crowd to leap up beside the other leaders on the Great Rock. Leafpaw craned her neck to see the leaders on the top; it seemed so tall and imposing, it made her feel incredibly small. Crowpaw, who sat beside her, didn't need to tilt his head as much as she did, being a bit bigger than her. He swiped his tail over her ear with a smug smirk.

Leopardstar let out a thundering yowl to draw the attention of every cat in the hollow. A hush fell over the crowd, all eyes turning to look at the leaders.

"Cats of all Clans," called Tallstar, leader of WindClan and eldest of the leaders. He looked around at his fellow leaders. "Who shall speak first?"

"I shall," said Firestar, coming to the front of the Great Rock. Leafpaw watched a little disinterestedly as he reported general news from the Clan; Ferncloud's kits doing well, the badger at Snakerocks – which didn't cause much of a fuss, since the creature was unlikely to move to another Clan's territory. "And we have a new warrior. Sorrelpaw has taken the name Sorreltail," he said to end his report. This caused a murmur to run through the assembled cats; Sorreltail was quite popular among the other Clans. Leafpaw caught a glimpse of the tortoiseshell through the mass of cats, sitting up proud and straight, her fur gleaming silver in the moonlight.

After Firestar, Blackstar came forward, reporting plentiful prey and whatnot. Leafpaw tuned him out in favor of looking behind her at Crowpaw. He seemed nice compared to his Clan-mate Nightpaw, if a little awkward at first. '_He could be great ally if ThunderClan ever fights against RiverClan or ShadowClan and we need WindClan's help!_' she thought, but she didn't like him simply because of this; he seemed friendly, and she looked forward to becoming better friends with him.

Blackstar finally got done reporting. Tallstar offered for Leopardstar to go next, but she drew back, allowing him to come to the front of the Great Rock. His eyes, to Leafpaw's concern, were clouded with worry. "The heat of greenleaf is becoming something much more than a nuisance," he began, his voice ringing across the hollow, "It has been many days since rain came to forest, and the streams on the moorland have all been scorched from the earth. We have no water at all."

Leafpaw jerked around, looking at Crowpaw with wide eyes full of worry, but he shrank away from her, looking defiant, as if daring her to feel pity toward him. She simply pressed closer to his side, trying to tell him without words that she was there for him and that she didn't pity him.

Leopardstar and Tallstar continued to talk back and forth, Tallstar asking for permission to enter RiverClan territory to let his warriors drink and gather water for the queens and elders. Leopardstar seemed reluctant to agree, making Leafpaw's and Crowpaw's fur bristle. Leafpaw didn't know Crowpaw that well yet, but she still felt indignant on WindClan's behalf that Leopardstar wouldn't agree to help them survive.

Finally, Leopardstar agreed to let WindClan enter RiverClan territory to drink, so long as they remained under the Twoleg bridge, didn't come any further and didn't touch the prey in the area. Tallstar agreed to the conditions gratefully.

"He shouldn't be so happy with the outcome," muttered a cat nearby; Leafpaw looked up to see her mentor Graystripe looking up at Leopardstar darkly. "If I know Leopardstar, she'll make WindClan pay for that water somehow."

Crowpaw flattened his ears at his words, his blue eyes flashing with anger. Leafpaw glanced at him worriedly before refocusing on the Gathering as Leopardstar came to the front of the Great Rock, looking reluctant to finally have a turn in front of the Clans.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Short and to the point. I just needed to get Leafpaw's POV out of the way. Next we see if Crowpaw really believes Skypaw, and we also see what Skypaw thinks of Mothwing. Until next time!  
~Persephone**


	10. 1 Chapter 8: Ancient Fury

Skypaw barely payed attention to Tallstar and Leopardstar's debate; he was too busy thinking about the WindClan apprentice sitting near him. '_Crowpaw! The cat with a destiny to change the Clans!_' he thought in awe. It took all of his willpower to remain still and not stare at him reverently. He had never met anyone who was the subject of prophecy, aside from his father of course, but it was interesting to meet one from another Clan, especially one so young.

"_He seems so normal, doesn't he? Like any other Clan apprentice?"_

Skypaw felt his fur bristle as the disembodied voice whispered in his ear. Mothflight had been true to her word and had remained by his side throughout the afternoon, talking to him silently, commenting on things when he least expected it. '_Mothflight!_' he thought venomously, '_I thought I asked you not to do that!_' Skypaw had found his awe of the StarClan she-cat had dimmed into minor respect after she had spent the day talking his ear off silently.

"_Sorry Skypaw, I forgot,_" Mothflight mewed soundlessly, sounding sheepish.

Before Skypaw could retort back at her, Leopardstar said "- our apprentices Hawkpaw and Mothpaw have become Hawkfrost and Mothwing. They have come here as full warriors tonight."

There was a murmur of approval, but underneath it was a growl of discontent, which, Skypaw realized with slight shock, came from the RiverClan cats.

As Leopardstar went on to explain the warrior siblings were actually rogue kits that had been adopted into the Clan, Skypaw narrowed his eyes in understanding. When Firestar, his own father, had come to forest from his old Twolegplace where he had lived as a mere kittypet, he had had to fight every single day to be acknowledged as a great warrior, his effort finally paying off when he became Clan leader. He personally had no qualms about rogues becoming warriors, as several ShadowClan cats had once been rogues; Blackstar himself used to be one.

However, Skypaw's musings were cut short as Leopardstar went on to say, "Mothwing has chosen a special place in our Clan. Mudfur, our medicine cat, is growing old, and the time has come for him to choose an apprentice."

The yowls of shock and anger from the clearing were nothing at all compared to the ferocious caterwaul that echoed through Skypaw's head, causing him to stagger with shock and pain. _"WHAT?! A ROGUE AS A __**MEDICINE CAT?!**__ HOW DARE YOU EVEN SUGGEST THAT?! THAT IS A SACRED JOB HANDED DOWN FROM OUR WARRIOR ANCESTORS! I FORBID IT! I SHALL NOT HAVE A FILTHY NONCLAN CAT WALK IN MY PAWSTEPS! I FORBID IT! DO YOU HEAR ME, MUDFUR?! IF YOU TAKE HER ON AS YOUR APPRENTICE I WILL HAUNT YOUR STEPS UNTIL YOU JOIN ME HERE IN STARCLAN! AND THEN YOU SHALL SUFFER ETERNITY LISTENING TO ME YELL YOUR EARS OFF!" _Mothflight screeched furiously in Skypaw's skull, her voice growing louder and louder until it drowned out all other noises around him.

'_MOTHFLIGHT! CALM DOWN!_' Skypaw roared, his head pounding in agony as the StarClan she-cat howled and raged.

_"SIMPLY SUGGESTING SUCH A THING IS A BETRAYAL TO THE WARRIOR CODE! RIVERCLAN IS NOTHING BUT A SHADOW OF WHAT IT ONCE WAS! EVER SINCE LEOPARDSTAR BECAME LEADER, THIS ONCE GREAT CLAN HAS BECOME A SHAM, KILLING ITS OWN WARRIORS SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAD HALF-CLAN BLOOD, JOINING WITH THAT CROWFOOD-EATING FOX-HEARTED TRAITOROUS MOUSEFODDER, TIGERSTAR, AND THEN-!"_

_ 'MOTHFLIGHT!' _Skypaw screamed at the top of his mental voice, screwing his eyes shut in pain.

Mothflight's voice cut off abruptly, though the young apprentice could hear her heaving for breath in the back of his mind. Skypaw could barely stop himself from shaking with shock, in complete disbelief at the she-cat's ferocious screeches. Of all the time he had spent walking with StarClan, he had _never _heard one so angry before. '_I thought you were a rogue before you joined WindClan too?_' Skypaw thought quietly in confusion, ears flattened to his skull in case she went off again even if it didn't do any good.

Mothflight snorted contemptuously. "_Yes, I was, but the only reason I was allowed to become a medicine cat was because StarClan chose me; I was the __**first **__medicine cat, so they couldn't be too picky about it. They chose me specifically for the job. And now, for the long seasons I have been here, I have been picking and choosing the Clan's medicine cats, seeing who is worthy and who isn't, and now I say this: If Mothwing becomes RiverClan's medicine cat, RiverClan will lose my favor. Diseases will run rampant through their Clan without my aid or any other cat's! The only help they will receive is that from precious Mothwing, who will be unable to cope with the amount of sick cats._"

Skypaw gaped at her, blue eyes so wide with shock you could see the white edges. '_What do you mean, "lose your favor"?! Why would you let that happen to RiverClan simply because Mothwing became medicine cat?!_' he gasped.

Mothflight growled, a deep, menacing growl that should never belong to a medicine cat, which made Skypaw flinch. _"I am the first medicine cat, Skypaw. I see the fates of all the Clans. I see what turns of destiny will do to each Clan. Believe me, Skypaw; if Mothwing becomes RiverClan's medicine cat, even if I don't abandon them, RiverClan will still fall. Because let me tell you something; something I probably shouldn't tell you. Mudfur is waiting for a sign from StarClan that Mothwing is the right apprentice. In three days' time, he will find a moth's wing outside his den and think it is StarClan's way of telling him she is the right apprentice. __**But that is a lie! **__The moth's wing is not a sign from us! It is merely a certain cat's way of getting what he wants!"_

_ 'Mothwing will trick him just to become medicine cat?!_' Skypaw asked, shocked. Would a cat so blatantly lie just to become medicine cat? It was a sacred position; if you defiled it, StarClan would punish you to the end of your days, and probably more afterwards.

_"As if that pain in the tail fluff-head could think of something so scheming and brilliant!_" Mothflight snapped, her tone full of nothing but dripping hatred for the RiverClan she-cat. "_No, she is a simple nuisance that I refuse to acknowledge as a medicine cat. She may have 'Moth' in her name, but that just makes me more disgusted. It is her fox-hearted brother who pulls the leaves over everyone eyes."_

_ 'Hawkfrost would trick everyone like that? Why?_' Skypaw asked disbelievingly.

Mothflight sighed heavily, the fight seeming to leave her voice as she mewed, "_He is lower than a badger; I forsee he shall be quite a bother to the Clans in the future, but his path cannot be changed; however, his sister's path is clear. I __**will not **__allow Mothwing to become Mudfur's apprentice; if she touches her nose to the Moonstone, her corpse will be all that is left of her in the morning. I cannot let her be medicine cat!"_

_ 'What could be so dangerous about her that you would take her life to stop her?!'_ Skypaw asked, horrified.

_"If she becomes medicine cat, she will stop believing in StarClan – which, to be honest, I don't mind much; that just means I never have to meet her – however, that would spell disaster for RiverClan, as there would be no way for her to interpret StarClan's signs, meaning they would be completely unaware of danger until it came and sat right on them," _Mothflight said.

Skypaw flicked an ear, slowly sitting back up. He was aware that the Gathering was still going on, and that a few cats were shooting him odd looks – Crowpaw included; Leafpaw seemed not to have noticed – but he paid them no heed, looking through the crowd until he spotted her; a beautiful golden tabby with amber eyes, crouching awkwardly next to Mudfur as if to hide from the angry yowls that echoed around the hollow. '_So what exactly am __**I **__supposed to do?!'_ Skypaw asked the invisible white she-cat.

Mothflight was silent for a few moments, and Skypaw could imagine the sound of her paws padding on the ground as she paced back and forth, deep in thought. The sound of her pacing stopped as she mewed, "_It seems you have more work for me to do, Skypaw. Forgive me, but I need to you to do something else for me after tonight."_

_ 'And what would that be?_' Skypaw asked, bemused. He felt like he probably should be irritated at the starry medicine cat, but he couldn't be; if this helped the fate of RiverClan, he was willing to do it.

"_Tomorrow at sunhigh,"_ Mothflight began, "_I need you to go to the stepping stones on the RiverClan border; after that, you will know what to do."_

_ 'Oh I will, will I?_' Skypaw asked with an inner snort.

"_Please Skypaw! This is vital! All four Clans __**must **__survive! There cannot be one, or two, or three; there must always be four! The last time a Clan was scattered, it ended in disaster for everyone involved!" _Mothflight exclaimed.

Skypaw flicked an ear slightly. He wanted _so _badly to snap at her, but he knew he couldn't; if the Clans fell apart and it was his fault, the knowledge that he'd had a chance to save them and hadn't taken it would surely kill him.

'_Alright,_' he sighed, earning him a warm purr of affection and the feeling of a tongue rasping over his ears in gratitude.

_"Thank you, Skypaw; my thanks, and surely the thanks of Dapplepelt and RiverClan's ancestors go with you,_" she mewed. Skypaw knew of Dapplepelt; she was RiverClan's first medicine cat, and one of Mothflight's greatest friends in the old stories.

Skypaw tuned back into the Gathering only to hear Tallstar bring it to a close, and the leaders all started leaping down from the Great Rock to gather their Clans.

_"Now is your chance; quickly!" _Mothflight urged him.

Skypaw didn't need her to tell him twice; he got to his paws and turned to Crowpaw and Leafpaw, who were standing up as well. "Can I have a quick word with you?"

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Before anyone starts snapping at me, let me just say this: I HATE LEOPARDSTAR AND MOTHWING! Leopardstar nearly destroyed her Clan by joining Tigerstar, and then she almost kills Mistyfoot, Stormfur and Feathertail, and LET'S STONEFUR DIE just because they're flipping Half-Clan cats! And Mothwing?! RiverClan lost cats because she couldn't receive StarClan's messages! I HATE HER!... Ahem, excuse me; I think I'm calm now. Anyway, I have already made up a replacement for Mothwing and have a perfect idea on how to bring them in; you're all just going to have to wait and see!  
~Persephone**


	11. 1 Chapter 9: What is Real

Crowpaw was reluctant to go off with the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice alone; throughout Leopardstar's entire story of Hawkfrost and Mothwing, Skypaw had been moving about oddly; one second he would slump as if he had just been bowled over by a large cat, then he had remained crouched on the ground, trembling like a leaf in the wind before finally straightening up again and staring at someone in the crowd Crowpaw couldn't see. That, and the fact that an unnatural sheen of light seemed to have entered the young cat's eyes, as if he had become a StarClan warrior in the middle of the Gathering.

Needless to say, Crowpaw was very reluctant indeed to speak with the apprentice alone, but Leafpaw took his choice from him. "Oh, I should probably go say bye to Smokepaw!" she mewed. She spun to Crowpaw, her eyes genuinely apologetic. "Maybe I could see you when your Clan comes to get water in RiverClan, yeah? The ThunderClan border is close by."

Not giving the smoky gray-black tom time to reply, she touched noses with him quickly before bounding across the clearing toward a dark black ShadowClan apprentice that greeted her with an uncharacteristically friendly mew, leaving WindClan warrior apprentice and ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice alone together.

Crowpaw was just about to open his mouth and say a hasty good-bye to make a swift retreat when Skypaw mewed, "Sorry about Leafpaw; she's overly friendly. She makes friends with cats in different Clans easily, which is probably really dangerous, but she means well. Now, we should get down to business."

As he said this, Skypaw turned to the other apprentice, sky-blue eyes meeting darker-blue eyes squarely. "I know about Mothflight," was all he said.

Crowpaw flinched like he had been struck, eyes widening and ears flattening as he opened his mouth to snarl, "What did you just say?!"

"I know about Mothflight," Skypaw repeated himself calmly, his gaze steady as he held the WindClan apprentice's furious glare. "I know she came to you and gave you a prophecy, and I know you don't believe her, but what Mothflight said is true. You must meet with the three other cats on the new moon, and all will be revealed. Your destiny is only just beginning, Crowpaw; without you, the Clans will surely fall into ruin."

Having said his piece, Skypaw nodded his head to the thunderstruck cat and turned to pad away into the trees surrounding the hollow, following his Clan-mates back to their camp, leaving Crowpaw to stand, frozen in shock.

Crowpaw felt the world tilt sickeningly and sat down again, hard. His ears buzzed and he felt faint with shock. '_It's true? StarClan chose me for a prophecy?!_' he thought, feeling his body beginning to go numb.

"-paw! Crowpaw!"

Crowpaw jerked his head at the sound of his name to see Stonepaw in front of him, looking at him worriedly. "Are you alright? You looked like you saw Tigerstar's ghost!" he mewed, concern in his grey eyes.

Crowpaw got shakily to his paws, flicking his tail over his younger brother's ear reassuringly. "I'm fine; just tired I guess," he meowed, which only proved to make Stonepaw even more concerned than before; they had never been especially close compared to some siblings, but they never lied to each other often.

"Alright," Stonepaw mewed uncertainly, "Let's just get back to camp."

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Poor Stonepaw has no idea what's going on. Our dear Crowpaw has learned his dreams aren't hallucinations. And it seems Leafpaw also has a friend in ShadowClan. I know the Smokepaw thing was kinda random, but it'll make sense later on. Bye!  
~Persephone**


	12. 1 Chapter 10: Gathering of Five

"Hey Smokepaw!" Leafpaw meowed, beaming at the black tom in front of her as he got to his paws to follow his Clan-mates back home.

"Hey, Leafpaw; long time no see!" Smokepaw mewed, smiling back at the smaller she-cat he had met at the last Gathering. "Where were you? I couldn't see you in the crowd."

"Oh, I was sitting with Skypaw and my new friend Crowpaw," Leafpaw informed him, flicking her tail to indicate the two apprentices standing out of earshot talking to each other.

"Crowpaw of WindClan?" mewed Smokepaw, blinking at the dark gray apprentice in surprise. "I've met his brother Stonepaw; they don't seem incredibly close, but Stonepaw says he's a lot faster than the other apprentices."

"Really?" asked Leafpaw, suddenly much more interested in her new friend. She had thought he was cool with the way that he walked with his head high as if he was already a warrior, but now she saw him on a different level. No wonder he walked so proudly; speed was everything to WindClan. It must be incredibly impressive to be the fastest apprentice.

"Yeah, I also heard that-" Smokepaw began, but he was cut off when a flash of tortoiseshell fur announced the arrival of Smokepaw's mentor Tawnypelt.

"What are you doing? We're heading back to camp now," Tawnypelt mewed sternly, flicking her tail to indicate the lack of ShadowClan cats left in the hollow.

"Sorry Tawnypelt," Smokepaw said, bending down to give his chest fur a few embarrassed licks at being scolded in front of the pretty ThunderClan apprentice.

"Don't blame him, Tawnypelt; I just wanted to say good-bye to him before he left," Leafpaw defended him, not even twitching when the young warrior turned her blazing green eyes on her.

Tawnypelt's eyes lost some of their irritation, but she still had a scolding tone as she said, "You know better than to keep the Clan waiting for you after a Gathering Smokepaw. Let's go."

"Yes Tawnypelt," Smokepaw said with a sigh, carrying a subtle edge of irritation. He swiped his tail along Leafpaw's side before turning and padding away with his mentor.

"Bye Smokepaw!" Leafpaw called, "See you next moon!"

**_~Warriors~_**

On the way home from the Gathering, Leafpaw fell into step beside her brother. "So, what did you want to talk to Crowpaw about? You haven't met him before, have you?" she asked, her amber eyes full of curiosity.

Skypaw's ears twitched, as if he heard something far away, but he kept his face blank and he didn't call out a warning to anyone. "No, I haven't," he mewed, blue eyes fixed on the path in front of them as they ran, "But I thought I did; turns out I met one of his ancestors in StarClan. They looked almost exactly alike."

Leafpaw pulled back, shuddering at the thought of StarClan; she respected the holy warriors, sure, but the thought of dead cats walking in your dreams…. That was the real reason she had handed the medicine cat apprentice position over to her brother. "Really? Oh, please tell me you didn't scare the poor tom off!" she begged him.

Skypaw's whiskers twitched with amusement. "No such luck. I didn't tell him where I knew him from; I just talked to him a little. We didn't even say much, it was just small talk," he said, then shrugged.

"Oh," was all Leafpaw said, and the siblings went the rest of the way to the ThunderClan camp in silence, with Leafpaw deep in thought about her new friend.

**_~Warriors~_**

The clouds didn't do much to stop the starlight and moonlight from shining through, bathing the moorland in a silvery sheen unlike anything witnessed in the waking world. A lone cat padded across the open plain, his blue eyes focused intently ahead of him and his long black-and-white fur dotted with stars.

He walked onward, either unaware or uncaring of the harsh rocky ground under his paws. As he went, he spotted another cat ahead of him, their pelt turned silver by the moonlight. Bounding forward a few steps, he saw it was a delicate-looking tortoiseshell she-cat. "Dapplepelt!" he called to her, and she slowed, looking at him with warm, wide golden eyes.

"Cloudspots! It has been too long, my friend!" The first RiverClan medicine cat mewed, allowing her ThunderClan colleague to fall into step beside her as they continued across the moorland.

"Have you seen Pebbleheart or Leafheart yet?" Cloudspots asked as they continued onward, side by side under the open sky.

"No, but I doubt they are far behind; they may even be there already," Dapplepelt mewed mildly.

"You guess correctly," meowed a gruff voice, and the two starry cats saw another pair of StarClan cats just ahead of them. The first one, the one who spoke, was a large dark gray tabby tom with yellow eyes. The she-cat beside him was half his size, with a silver-black dappled pelt and gentle green eyes.

"Pebbleheart, Leafheart! So glad you decided to come!" Dapplepelt mewed welcomingly, smiling at the first ShadowClan and SkyClan medicine cats widely.

"It is good to see you too Dapplepelt, Cloudspots," Leafheart mewed in an incredibly quiet voice, her eyes sparkling with affection as she and Dapplepelt touched noses in greeting. Cloudspots seemed to be holding himself back from doing the same with the tiny she-cat, his blue eyes full of warmth as he watched the she-cats interact. Pebbleheart had the same look on his face, though his eyes were focused more on Dapplepelt.

Cloudspots and Pebbleheart didn't show as much affection to each other, but they shared a respectful nod as the group of four continued to walk across the moors until they reached their destination; the ever-high slopes of Highstones, home of Mothermouth and the Moonstone far underneath.

"Mothflight! We are here!" Pebbleheart called, his voice taking on an irritated tone that made the three other medicine cats give him smug looks. They all knew the former WindClan cat could seriously anger the larger cat.

Last but certainly not least, the beautiful white she-cat appeared in the tunnel entrance, her fur sparkling with an unnatural light that was uncommon even in StarClan. "My friends," she mewed, green eyes full of love and care for each of them in turn, "It has been far too long; too many seasons have passed since we have last met together."

"Agreed," mewed Dapplepelt, and she and Leafheart both rubbed muzzles briefly with Mothflight.

"I take it you called us here for a rather important matter?" Cloudspots meowed, getting straight to the point like he usually did.

"Yes; last I heard, you were spending your time running about with one of Cloudspot's Clan-mates," Pebbleheart said, raising an eyebrow at his old friend as she met his gaze, a smirk decorating her face.

"Yes, you gave him quite the earful about rogues becoming medicine cats," mewed Leafheart, her reproachful tone devolving into a purr of amusement.

"Thank you for that, by the way; if you hadn't driven Mothwing away, I would have," Dapplepelt growled deep in her throat, flexing her claws in front of her as if she were imagining the ground to be the golden she-cat's pelt.

"Oh dear, did you send your entire wrath onto the poor tom? He's barely much more than a kit, you know; you shouldn't go burdening him with your lioness temper like that," Cloudspots said, narrowing his eyes at the first medicine cat as if she were no more than an apprentice. Pebbleheart shot him a venomous look, clearly wanting to have said something about it first, but Mothflight didn't mind, simply shrugging.

"I admit, I overreacted a little-" Here all four other cats snorted in amusement "- but I had the best intentions. Anyway, my storm-like hell-born fury is not why I called you here," she said, her tone growing serious. The other cats tensed, aware that this was no laughing matter.

Mothflight took a seat in the tunnel mouth, prompting the others to sit as well. "I have a job for each of you…"

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Aha, I leave you with a cliffhanger! Ain't I a stinker? LOL, anyway….. I know Mothflight used the word 'hell' and I know hell for cats is the Place of No Stars, but I decided to write it that way regardless; deal with it, punks! ****Special mention to Aleeta6 for coming up with SkyClan's medicine cat's name!****  
Anyway, Leafpaw has a friend in ShadowClan, she's starting to suspect something's wrong with Crowpaw, and the five ancient medicine cats have assembled for an important meeting; what will happen next?! Find out next time!  
~Persephone**


	13. 1 Chapter 11: RiverClan's Hope

Skypaw awoke the morning after the Gathering with dark shadows that looked suspiciously like Twoleg contraptions haunting his waking mind. '_Trying to tell me something?_' he asked Mothflight, and he was surprised when he didn't receive an answering mew. She had been so incessant the night before; he had expected her to stick around in the morning. Then again, she had never said she would; she was only there to help him with convincing Crowpaw. Regardless, he was disappointed when he got no answer.

Shaking his head free of a clump of moss, Skypaw climbed out of his nest and stretched leisurely before walking to Cinderpelt's den in the half-rock at the far end of the small clearing.

**_~Warriors~_**

As sunhigh approached, Skypaw became more and more anxious about reaching the stepping stones on time as Mothflight had instructed him, but today there seemed to be no end to the chores of the medicine cats.

He and Cinderpelt had to go fetch some tansy and lavender for Larchkit and Birchkit – they had caught a bit of a cough a few days ago – then they had to treat Spiderpaw for a sprained paw after he landed wrong during a training session, and Brackenfur for a scratch he had gotten from a bush while diving past it to get a wren, then Whitepaw got a thorn in her pad and he had to endure her never-ending whining as he got it out.

It seemed the entire forest was conspiring against him getting to the border in time, but eventually he was able to sneak away after giving the kits their fever medicine. He slipped out of the camp slowly, wary of being followed, but once he got to the top of the ravine, he shot away like a hawk after prey, fully aware that it would be just before sunhigh when he reached the stepping stones if he ran like a WindClan cat.

He pelted through the forest, ducking and avoiding branches and other obstacles as if the wind itself carried his paws through the trees. When he finally skidded to a halt on the border, the stepping stones were in sight, but he stayed in the undergrowth on the ThunderClan side, unwilling to cross the border and get himself in trouble unnecessarily.

'_Alright Mothflight, if you're there, you better tell me what I should do, because, unlike what you said last night, I have no idea what to do now!'_Skypaw thought, eyes narrowed as he glared at the stepping stones as if they were the she-cat in question who was causing him such vexation.

"_Dear me, Mothflight! You didn't even bother telling him what he would be doing here? For shame!_"

Skypaw nearly earned the name 'Skyjumper' when he heard the unfamiliar voice in his head, making him leap nearly an entire foxlength into the air. He whipped around, looking for the source of the sound even though he recognized it as a StarClan cat in his mind. '_And just who exactly would __**you **__be?!' _he questioned them, fur bristling along his shoulders and spine.

_"Ah, and she also forgets to tell you I was coming; honestly, if she weren't the first medicine cat…"_ the mystery cat trailed off, and Skypaw could imagine an indistinct outline of a cat shaking their head in exasperation. "_Ah well, nothing we can do about it right now; my name is Dapplepelt. I was RiverClan's first medicine cat, though I'm sure you already know that."_

Skypaw felt his ear twitch as he slowly relaxed, letting his fur lie flat again. '_Mothflight's best friend?'_ he asked, in complete disbelief; it was honor enough to speak with the Clan's first medicine cat, but to speak with another ancient cat as if they came to speak with just _anyone…_

_"Indeed, though we had a third best friend that was rarely ever mentioned in the legends, but that is not important at the moment,_" Dapplepelt mewed seriously, "_What matters is that you got here in time. Now we simply need to wait."_

_'Wait? For what, exactly?_' Skypaw thought, sitting back down within the bushes.

_"You mean she didn't tell you?! Great StarClan, what was that minnow-brain thinking, not telling you what's going to happen?!"_ Dapplepelt exclaimed, though she didn't sound entirely surprised about the problem.

'_So, are __**you**__ going to tell me what's going on?_' Skypaw asked, tilting his head to one side.

"_Oh, yes of course! You're going to help RiverClan's next medicine cat be born,_" Dapplepelt said matter-of-factly.

'_I'm gonna __**what?!**__' _Skypaw squeaked like a kit, his voice high with shock.

_"Oh, it's as easy as swallowing a minnow! In about thirty heartbeats, a RiverClan queen is going to be near the border because she wanted to leave the camp for a walk, but her kits are going to start coming and she'll be stuck there. You need to go to her and help deliver the kits. After that, I shall visit Mudfur and tell him which one of them is going to be his apprentice. Got it?_" Dapplepelt mewed serenely, as if she did this every day; which she probably had when she was alive.

_'What? __**NO!**__ I can't deliver kits on my own!' _Skypaw exclaimed, horrified.

_"Sure you can! And if you freeze up or don't know what to do, I'm right here to help you. Mothflight was very sure I could handle this,"_ Dapplepelt said nonchalantly.

'_And how exactly does Mothflight know this is going to go well?! What if I mess up and get the queen killed?! RiverClan and ThunderClan would go to war!_' Skypaw hissed at her silently, but he felt a tail rest on his shoulder; a very furry one, one he wouldn't expect from the she-cat.

"_Dapplepelt is right, Skypaw; you __**can **__do this. And it isn't right to doubt Mothflight; out of all of us, she's the one who actually knows what she's doing all the time," _mewed a voice, this one deeper and distinctly a tom's voice.

"_Thanks Cloudspots, but we can have heart-warming moments later; right now we need to focus on the task at paw!_" Dapplepelt said.

Skypaw hardly had time to process that he now had a _third _voice in his head when he heard a sharp yowl of pain from across the river.

"_Now, Skypaw! If you do not go to her, her fate is sealed!"_ Cloudspots urged him, and the white-gray apprentice didn't need to be told twice; getting to his paws in a flash, he dashed to the bank and leapt onto the first stepping stone, not even pausing to get his proper balance before launching himself at the next.

"_You could've just swam,_" mewed Dapplepelt helpfully, but Cloudspots snorted in response.

"_I think he is wise to take this way; not everyone can swim like an otter, you know. We're all drypaws compared to you!" _he meowed.

'_Do you think you could stop bantering for a moment?!_' Skypaw snapped before Dapplepelt could retort, and the two starry cats fell silent as Skypaw jumped his way across the river and the border to reach the RiverClan side in record timing.

He bounded through the undergrowth, and for several heart-stopping moments he imagined RiverClan warriors jumping out to attack him for trespassing, but the paranoid fear passed and he skidded to a halt as he caught sight of the she-cat he was there to help.

She was pale gray and medium-sized, except for her protruding middle, heavy with the coming kits. Her pale green eyes were wide with pain as she slumped to the ground, her forelegs apparently unable to keep her up from the agony she was enduring. She let out a low moan, sounding as if she were holding back a screech of pain.

Skypaw, knowing it was urgent that he helped her right _now, _but also knowing that the situation would just get worse if she were frightened, padded forward slowly, making sure he was easily visible to the young queen.

She flinched at the sight of him, green eyes blazing with venom. "Stay away! Don't come near me!" she spat at him, obviously not recognizing him; he had only become medicine cat apprentice two moons ago, after all, and all she could probably distinguish from his scent was ThunderClan.

"It's alright," he mewed, stopping three fox-lengths away from her. "I've come to help. I heard you on the border."

"Help?!" she hissed, ears flattening as her body tensed as pain ripped through it, "What can a 'paw do to help during a kitting?!"

Skypaw's whiskers twitched, but he wasn't angry; he was a stranger, she was in childbirth, alone, and scared – this was probably the first time she had kits too – and they seemed to be out of earshot of any other RiverClan cat at the moment. Any cat would be defensive and suspicious in this situation.

"I helped deliver Ferncloud's kits. Cinderpelt said I did an excellent job then," he mewed, recalling the feelings of excitement and terror coursing through him that night a moon and a half ago. The emotions were starting to swirl into his mind again, but he could feel the presence of the two StarClan cats there too; he would be fine.

"Cinderpelt?" the she-cat gasped, her jaw clenching in pain again, "The ThunderClan medicine cat? You're her apprentice?"

"Yes," Skypaw said, dipping his head briefly before meeting her eyes levelly and mewing, "And I'm also your kits only hope. I know I'm trespassing right now, but I have no idea where the RiverClan camp is, and you obviously can't show me the way, so I can't get Mudfur for you. If you want your kits to be born safely, I'm your best bet."

The queen seemed to stop and consider these chances briefly, but another ripple of agony sent her gasping out, "Okay, okay! Please, help me! It feels like my body is splitting open!"

Now with her permission, Skypaw quickly padded forward, cautiously lifting a paw and placing it on the queen's flank to feel her progress. He felt her muscles, stretched to an awkward angle by her half-upright position. "Lay down, it'll make it easier on you," he suggested, and stepped back as she did as he said, grimacing in pain as she felt another spasm coming.

Skypaw placed his paw back onto her side gently. "It's almost time," he mewed calmly. He remembered this part perfectly; this moment was crucial, Cinderpelt had said. "When I tell you to, you need to push with all of your strength. Can you do that?"

"It hurts," she rasped, her eyes watering with pain, "It really, _really _hurts."

"I know," Skypaw murmured, feeling a bit odd to be comforting a cat older than him, "But you need to do this. You want these kits to be happy and safe, right?"

Green eyes met blue eyes, and an unspoken agreement passed between them; they would both do anything they could to make sure these kits lived. Wordlessly, the she-cat nodded jerkily.

"Alright," said Skypaw, and he bent down to press his ear to her flank, listening to her straining muscles and rapid heartbeat. For several tense moments they waited, two strangers who knew next to nothing about each other, both fighting for innocent lives that had yet to be brought into the world. And suddenly, Skypaw heard what he had been waiting for.

"NOW!"

The queen gritted her teeth, able to keep the exclamation to a low hiss as the first kit was born. Skypaw immediately slid to where the tiny bundle had dropped into the grass, a wriggling mass struggling to escape the birth-sac and breathe its first lungful of air. Skypaw carefully nipped the sac open, and a small brown tabby scrap of fur fell out, gasping small lungfuls of air. Skypaw dutifully picked it up to move it away for the next incoming kit, setting it down to quickly begin licking it's fur the wrong way to warm it up and get it's blood pumping properly. He gave it a last lick before turning back to its mother when she gasped sharply as a second bundle dropped out.

They repeated this process twice more, each time seeming as endless and nerve-wracking as the last, until four tiny kits were crouched on the ground, receiving a fierce licking from the young medicine cat apprentice. The first-born, the brown tabby, was a tom. The second-born, a gray she-kit that looked a lot like her mother, was the smallest of the litter, so Skypaw spent extra time licking her, ensuring that she stayed warm and had a steady heartbeat. The third-born was a tiny white she-kit that reminded him a lot of Mothflight. The last was also a she-kit, silver-gray with a rather distinctively high-pitched voice as it mewled, blindly reaching for her mother.

Speaking of their mother, the gray she-cat lifted her head from where she had dropped it on the ground to purr tiredly at the four tiny fur scraps, her eyes warm and loving. Skypaw lifted each one and set them next to her belly, letting them feel their way to the correct spot to get milk. They each latched on and began to suckle, making quiet little noises of contentment as they were fed for the first time.

"A tom and three she-kits," Skypaw mewed, beaming so widely he felt like his face would split open, "Congratulations."

The queen let her head fall to the ground once again, exhausted. "Are you alright? Any pain?" Skypaw asked her, the feelings of anxiousness he had buried during the kitting hitting him like a Thunderpath monster now that it was over. He looked her over twice, trying to find anything wrong with this image of bliss in front of him.

"No," she sighed, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to stay awake, "Thank you… I can't believe you did this for me; you helped me with my kits, and I don't even know your name!" she exclaimed, her tone still tired, but she seemed to force herself awake, as if just remembering that she had no idea who he was.

"I'm Skypaw of ThunderClan; I'm in training to be the next medicine cat, though you already know that," Skypaw mewed mildly, feeling the tension and anxiety beginning to fade out of him, and his shoulders suddenly slumped with tiredness. He hadn't noticed how much time had passed, but when he looked up at the sky, he realized it was sunset by now. His Clan would be looking for him, but he couldn't bring himself to care just yet.

"I'm Dawnflower. Nice to meet you Skypaw," Dawnflower purred with amusement, her eyes sparkling with ill-disguised affection for the apprentice as he nodded to her in acknowledgment.

"Hello Dawnflower," he meowed, smiling at her as he sat down and curled his tail around his paws, not wanting to leave her until she was strong enough to get back to the RiverClan camp.

A semi-familiar scent, of horsetail and tansy, curled around him, and Skypaw felt a bushy tail run along his flank. "_Congratulations,_" Cloudspots purred, "_You did perfectly well._"

'_And where have __**you**__ been?' _Skypaw asked, mildly annoyed; he had felt the starry cat's presence in his mind as he worked, but neither ancient medicine cat had bothered to spare a word of advice for the situation.

_"Nowhere, just watching you work. Your memory was quite impressive; you were able to remember exactly what to do throughout the entire thing. You didn't need me; I was just here as insurance,_" Cloudspots said casually, seemingly unconcerned.

'_Where's Dapplepelt?_' Skypaw asked. He liked Cloudspots, but he wanted to hear the she-cat's opinion of his work as well.

_"Oh, she went off to inform Mudfur of his new apprentice. Can you guess which one it is?_" Cloudspots asked, his presence drawing away from the apprentice slightly to move toward the RiverClan queen, and Skypaw could swear he saw the faint outline of a long-furred cat hovering over her curled form to look down at the four tiny kits huddled around her.

Skypaw edged closer to look at them as well, and Dawnflower didn't react, her eyes still closed. His paranoia began to act up for a moment, but he reassured himself that she was alive by watching her side rise up and down as she breathed.

The white-gray apprentice scanned the four kits, eyes training on each one in turn. The tabby was the biggest, with a stocky, thickset frame. The white and silver-gray she-kits were sleek and slim, perfect for swimming quickly through water. The smallest kit, the pale gray female that looked so much like her mother, was the most likely choice.

'_The tiny one,_' he replied to Cloudspots question.

The faint outline of the ancient cat nodded his head. "_Indeed; good instincts, Skypaw. You will make a fine medicine cat someday; but for now, know that your ancestors are proud of you."_ Cloudspots meowed before he began to slowly fade away.

'_Wait!'_ Skypaw exclaimed, alarmed, '_Where are you going?!_'

"_Don't worry Skypaw; I merely have business to attend to elsewhere. Dapplepelt will be back soon; you can speak with her until Mudfur arrives._" Cloudspots assured him. The black-and-white tom flicked Skypaw's ear one more time before disappearing completely, leaving the white-gray apprentice alone with an unconscious she-cat and four nursing kits.

Yawning widely, Skypaw couldn't bring himself to even think about heading back to ThunderClan territory, let alone the camp, so he allowed himself to curl up on the ground beside Dawnflower, exhaustion pulling him into sleep.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: RiverClan's hope is restored now that they no longer must stoop to the level of having a rogue medicine cat! Hurray! ! ! ! Is anyone else really excited?! Because I am! ! ! And I don't know why! ! ! ! Anyway, the kits are born, they're all healthy and help is coming soon; a happy ending, right? We'll just have to wait and see, huh?  
~Persephone**


	14. 1 Chapter 12: Warrior Code

Sunhigh used to be the worst part of the day on the moorland, but as Crowpaw followed his mother across the dusty ground to the RiverClan border, he couldn't be any more relieved. The river glittered up at them from the bottom of the gorge on WindClan's border as the large patrol of WindClan warriors and apprentices headed to the Twoleg bridge to get the water RiverClan had promised them.

The group was comprised of himself, the other apprentices – Stonepaw, Nightpaw, Weaselpaw, and the recently apprenticed Sharppaw – and their mentors – Mudclaw, Onewhisker, Tornear, Webfoot, and Ashfoot (his own mother) – and the she-cats Robinwing and Whitetail.

The apprentices carried large bundles of moss to soak with water to bring back to the queens and elders at camp. Tallstar had remained at camp with a few of the warriors to look after things there while Mudclaw took the fittest warriors to get the water.

As they reached the RiverClan border and spotted the Twoleg bridge, Crowpaw couldn't help a little shiver of excitement. Leafpaw had said it was possible for them to meet at the borders of the three territories if they were lucky, and despite spending the night trying not to get his hopes up, Crowpaw really wanted to see her again. She was so interesting; she was in a different Clan for one thing, and she was incredibly friendly compared to the apprentices of other Clans he had met. She seemed genuinely interested in him and his wellbeing – Crowpaw could vividly remember the worried looks she shot him during the Gathering when Tallstar had mentioned the loss of water – and she wasn't boastful of her abilities; not once did Crowpaw hear her mention her skills in training throughout the entire Gathering, and he had to admire her for that.

A few RiverClan warriors were standing on top of the Twoleg bridge. Crowpaw could recognize the tabby fur of Hawkfrost and the mist-gray pelt of Mistyfoot as they scanned the incoming WindClan cats suspiciously.

Mudclaw led the way to the edge of the sparkling water, and Crowpaw felt his mouth go dry as he looked at it hungrily. After Mudclaw talked with the RiverClan cats a bit – Crowpaw didn't pay attention to it, instead focusing on the river – the RiverClan cats nodded and disappeared across the bridge, presumably heading back to their camp.

The WindClan cats padded forward, dipping the moss into the water until it was full to dripping. Then, not incredibly worried about decorum, Crowpaw dropped his moss onto the ground beside him to lap up as many mouthfuls of water as possible in a short amount of time.

Ashfoot purred from where she was lapping up her own water, swiping her tail over his ear, which didn't deter him at all.

After several moments, when every cat had drunk their fill, Mudclaw, ordered the cats to begin heading back to the WindClan camp with their moss. While most of their Clan-mates departed, Crowpaw noticed Sharppaw freeze in place where he was.

Out of all the cats there, he had been the one closest to the treeline. Crowpaw's ear twitched, and he narrowed his eyes as the younger apprentice slunk into the bushes. "Sharppaw!" Crowpaw hissed, stalking after him angrily. Honestly! It may have been the young tom's first time out of camp, but you would've thought he was smart enough not to sneak off while on another Clan's territory.

Crowpaw followed, slightly uneasy as the bushes enclosed him from sight. He was used to the wide open moorland, not incredibly uncomfortable enclosing undergrowth and trees that blocked the way of running.

Suddenly, a sharp squeak sounded from behind a bush up ahead, followed by the sound of rapid paw-steps before there was a sharp snapping sound. Crowpaw bounded forward to find the idiot apprentice right on the ThunderClan border, a water vole in his jaws.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the gray-black tom hissed, stalking forward to stand nose-to-nose with the smaller ginger tom.

Sharppaw flicked his ears, looking unconcerned with the situation. "Catching prey; you want a piece?" he mewed casually around the vole.

Crowpaw swiped out a paw, whacking the vole out of Sharppaw's mouth and across the ThunderClan border. "Is your head full of fluff or what?! You don't steal another Clan's prey, even if you have permission to be on their land! It's against the warrior code, mousebrain!" he snapped, glaring at the other apprentice venomously. He knew the Clan needed the food – with no water on the moors, prey was getting scarcer and scarcer – but he couldn't think of anything worse than getting caught with stolen prey the very day after Leopardstar had so generously allowed the WindClan cats on her land.

"You're the mousebrain! The kits and elders need to eat, and there's nothing left on our land!" Sharppaw snarled back, echoing Crowpaw's own thoughts, but the gray-black tom refused to listen to the voice telling him to take the vole.

"Forget it. It's not ours. Besides, we don't need these pathetic voles; we can survive on our own prey!" Crowpaw snapped hotly, before shoving the other apprentice back in the direction they'd come. "Hurry up; the others are probably gone already thanks to you!"

**_~Warriors~_**

As the two WindClan apprentices left the border behind, bickering and hissing at each other, Brambleclaw cautiously slid out of the bracken on the ThunderClan side of the border, stunned at what had just seen. A WindClan apprentice, with a starving Clan on his paws, turning down stolen prey because of the warrior code?

'_I must be out of my mind,_' Brambleclaw thought, shaking his head. "Did you see that?" he asked aloud, turning to Dustpelt and Squirrelpaw, who were on patrol with him. Dustpelt's eyes were wide with shock, and Squirrelpaw looked openly confused.

"Yeah….. we saw that," mewed Squirrelpaw.

"But we're having a hard time believing it," said Dustpelt, completely thunderstruck at the entire ordeal.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Short I know, but it's certainly different from what actually happened in the book, right?... OK, I know I ran out of steam a bit on this one, but once we get to the actual exciting parts it'll get better. Anyway, hope you enjoyed; BTW, PLEASE REVIEW! I like hearing what people think of what I write.  
P.S. I might be taking a small break on updating this story until I have a few more chapters written up and done.  
~Persephone**


	15. 1 Chapter 13: Dangerous Circumstances

Leafpaw and Graystripe returned to the camp early from their hunt. Leafpaw walked into the clearing carrying two starlings and a mouse, her head held high in imitation of the WindClan apprentice she had met last night. '_Fastest runner in WindClan, meet best hunter of ThunderClan!_' she thought a bit smugly, her tail waving in the air as she dropped her fresh-kill on the pile at the edge of camp like she did just about every day.

"Good job out there today," mewed Graystripe, dropping his thrush and magpie next to her catches. "Tomorrow we'll do battle-training first thing, alright?"

Leafpaw nodded eagerly. She and Graystripe had done battle-training together several times, but each time was more exciting than the last; with each new move learned, Leafpaw felt more and more like a powerful warrior, ready to tear others to bits in defense of her Clan.

Left with the afternoon to herself – a rare treat – Leafpaw decided to head to the medicine den to wait for Squirrelpaw's patrol to come back so the three siblings could do something together.

But, as she pushed her way through the fern tunnel to the smaller clearing, she was met with the sight of an agitated Sandstorm pacing and a worried-looking Cinderpelt sitting nearby.

"What's the matter?" Leafpaw asked, startling the two older cats; they had not heard her entrance, they were so deep in thought.

"Nothing really," Cinderpelt meowed quickly, sharing a quick glance with Sandstorm as she turned to the tabby-and-white apprentice. "Have you seen Skypaw out in the forest at all?"

Surprised, Leafpaw blinked and shook her head negative. "No. I thought I scented him at the top of the hollow, but I thought he just went to go get herbs or something. Why?" she asked, growing more concerned, "What's the matter? Has something happened?"

"Skypaw hasn't been seen since earlier this morning," Sandstorm meowed, beginning her pacing again. "We sent a patrol after his scent, but it just…."

"His scent trail stopped right in the middle of the forest," revealed Cinderpelt, looking anxious for her wayward apprentice, "It seemed to be going in the direction of Tallpines, but it just disappeared. There's no other trace of him."

"What?!" Leafpaw demanded, fur bristling all along her spine in alarm. "He can't have just disappeared! Why haven't you sent anymore patrols?!"

"We have," Sandstorm mewed, her voice strained, "Cloudtail and your father are combing Tallpines as we speak; there seems to be no other trace of his scent anywhere beyond the point it stops."

"Well, you obviously haven't looked enough!" Leafpaw snapped furiously, tail lashing, and she spun around to race out of the medicine den and bound toward the gorse tunnel, intending to join in the search.

She ended up crashing into a surprised Squirrelpaw right as she exited the tunnel, making Brambleclaw and Dustpelt leap backward as she plowed into her hapless sister.

"H-hey! What's going on?! What's the big idea, flattening a cat like that-?!" Squirrelpaw began hotly, but Leafpaw cut her off sharply.

"Skypaw is missing."

That was all it took to shut the hot-tempered ginger apprentice's mouth. Wordlessly, Leafpaw bounded up the slope of the ravine, with her sister right behind her. They were going to find their brother. No matter what it took.

**_~Warriors~_**

Pebbleheart let out a low purr of amusement as he watched the ThunderClan cats wander aimlessly in circles, searching for Firestar's absent son frantically. He had spent the day leading them away from the RiverClan border, moving the scent trail in the opposite direction and watching chaos ensue within a short time of waiting.

"Oh, you are too cruel!" sighed a half-amused, half-exasperated voice, and Leafheart shimmered into existence beside the first ShadowClan medicine cat.

"Payback for all the scars their ancestors left on my warriors!" Pebbleheart growled, glaring down at the frantic cats.

Leafheart prodded a paw into his side reproachfully, her green eyes flashing at him warningly. "Do not hold such grudges against them; it is in a cat's very nature to fight with other cats. You should know that after the endless seasons we have spent watching over our Clans," she mewed.

Pebbleheart snorted, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Can't blame a cat for taking advantage of an opportunity, can you?" he retorted with a casual flick of his tail.

Rolling her eyes, Leafheart settled down to watch the ThunderClan patrol, plopping her head on her paws as she crouched beside her old friend. "StarClan help them if you're ever reincarnated," she muttered, which got her a hiss in response.

**_~Warriors~_**

Mudfur was setting aside some mallow leaves he had just collected, thinking over what he was to do about Mothwing, the young she-cat who wanted so badly to be his apprentice. He saw nothing wrong with it; she was an intriguing young she-cat, kind and intelligent, and he thought she would make a great apprentice; however, she wasn't actually Clanborn, which was a major problem. If he chose her and StarClan did not approve…. He shuddered at the thought of what might happen, either to her or to RiverClan.

"_Having second thoughts about her already? Good, because she is not the apprentice you seek._"

Mudfur froze in place, one paw still sifting through the herbs on the ground, when he heard the ghostly whisper. It was a she-cat's voice, gentle and teasing, but Mudfur stiffened slightly regardless. He had been a medicine cat for many seasons, and he had received and interpreted many of StarClan's signs. He had met several of the ancient cats in dreams at the Moonstone every half-moon. But he had never, _ever _heard one speak to him so clearly in the waking world.

Whirling around, Mudfur saw a pale outline of a she-cat with a delicate frame and tortoiseshell pelt, golden eyes glinting at him with a hint of amusement in them. The she-cat had stars dotting her fur, and she stood next to the deep olive sedge at his den's entrance as if she had been there before and had been there only yesterday.

"Who-?" Mudfur rasped, then choked, too shocked to get the words out. He had been graced with meeting several StarClan cats – Brambleberry, his former mentor; Crookedstar, his former leader; Silverstream, Crookedstar's only daughter and Feathertail and Stormfur's mother – but he had never even seen this she-cat before.

Her golden eyes flashed with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "_What, has my name come to mean nothing to anyone now? Why is it that a ThunderClan apprentice knows me, and yet my own descendant does not?!_" she mewed fiercely, making the old cat flinch, but she didn't seem threatening; rather, she seemed to be enjoying this.

Mudfur opened his mouth and inhaled slowly. He recognized the scent of RiverClan from her immediately; her pelt was covered in the fishy scent, with a hint of juniper berries mixed in for good measure. "You are of RiverClan," the old light-brown tom mewed cautiously, afraid of angering her further, "But I do not know you."

"_No,_" the she-cat sighed, her tone soft and full of sadness, "_I should not have expected you to. My name, and the names of my greatest friends, have become little more than legend to you cats who walk the paths of the waking world. You wish to know my name?_"

Mudfur, eyes narrowed and pelt bristling, nodded to the she-cat in front of him, having a sense of foreboding that didn't come simply from her tone; once she said her name, he had a feeling something was going to happen. Something incredibly important.

_"Very well then. My name is Dapplepelt, your first predecessor, and I come bearing news of great significance to you. I hear you are searching for a young cat to be your apprentice?_" she mewed, raising an eyebrow at him.

Mudfur felt his mind glaze over with shock and awe, but he forced himself to shake it off for now; one of the first medicine cats would not have come to gossip about such trivial matters. "Yes. I was thinking of appointing the young Mothwing-"

"_DON'T YOU DARE!_" Dapplepelt spat, her starry fur suddenly standing on end and her golden eyes becoming molten pools of anger. "_DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER HER, YOU FOOL! She is a filthy non-Clan cat playing at being a warrior, that's all! River and I have put up with her and her brother's presence in the Clan so far, but I absolutely __**refuse **__to let her become medicine cat! What would a __**rogue **__know of StarClan?! Why should she receive the honor so few cats get?! And it is not only I who refuses; River, Thunder, Shadow, Wind, Mothflight, Pebbleheart, Leafheart, and Cloudspots all agree that she is unworthy. By the end of this day, you must have made it clear to your daughter that Mothwing will never be allowed anywhere near the Moonstone. Is that __**clear?!**_"

Mudfur was taken aback, having never heard such venom in the voice of a StarClan cat, but an inner voice told him he shouldn't be surprised; Dapplepelt was one of the four original medicine cats, and she doubtlessly still watched over her successors to this day. It probably would be insulting to have a non-Clan cat become one of them.

The old cat dipped his head in acquiescence. "I will tell Leopardstar as soon as I'm able," he rasped, his voice still hoarse. He got to his paws, intending to go inform his daughter of the change of plans, when Dapplepelt raised her tail to signal him to stay there. Confused, he fell back on his haunches, staring at her expectantly.

"_I did not come here merely to deprive you of an apprentice and go on my merry way,"_ she meowed, once again amused by his reaction. "_I come with a gift of hope for you and our Clan, Mudfur. Dawnflower has just kitted outside of camp, near the ThunderClan border._"

Mudfur sprang to his paws, fur bristling and muscles tensing as he prepared to charge out of the camp to find the young queen, but Dapplepelt raised her tail again, a stern look in her golden eyes.

"_Calm yourself; she is perfectly safe. Skypaw, young Cinderpelt's apprentice, was near the border when it happened and heard her. He crossed the border to help, and he did an excellent job aiding her with the birth. Both Dawnflower and all of her kits survived the ordeal,"_ Dapplepelt revealed easily, seemingly unconcerned for the queen.

Mudfur gaped at her even more, his amber eyes nearly bulging out of his head. He had heard Skypaw had aided in the ThunderClan queen Ferncloud's kitting, but he didn't expect the young cat to have been able to remember everything to do to ensure both mother and kits survived. Mudfur slowly fell back onto his haunches once again, his mind going numb for a moment. This day was just getting stranger and stranger…

"_You must go to them now,_" Dapplepelt mewed, "_No warriors, no apprentices, not even Heavystep; especially not him. You must go to them alone. And when you get there, you shall have your new apprentice waiting for you._"

Mudfur looked up at her and blinked. He knew he was old, and that it would take a while before the kit was old enough to become his apprentice, but when he looked into the twin pools of molten gold, he found he could do nothing but agree; StarClan knew best, after all.

Satisfied, Dapplepelt nodded to him, prompting him to climb to his paws once more. As he padded past her to the entrance to his den, he was suddenly stopped by her voice again, this time so quiet it was a whisper.

_"Ah yes, I nearly forgot. Brightsky has watched you ever since she left, and she wanted me to tell you that she's proud of you; both of you."_

Mudfur shuddered at her words. Brightsky, the love of his life, the mother of his only daughter, his former mate, had died many moons ago, never living to even see Leopardstar become an apprentice, let alone Clan leader.

Too choked up to answer, he nodded his head to the StarClan she-cat, and she faded away, leaving nothing but her faint scent behind as he padded to the camp entrance.

**_~Warriors~_**

Dapplepelt shot through the forest like a WindClan cat, invisible to every living thing as she headed toward where she had left the medicine cat apprentice and his charges. She knew that Cloudspots had had to leave soon after the kitting, as she had felt his presence fade and return to ThunderClan to keep watch over a certain warrior apprentice after Pebbleheart had confused Skypaw's scent trail, Leafheart with him, and Mothflight in WindClan territory keeping an eye on another young apprentice.

Dapplepelt slowed to a fast trot as she got closer, smiling widely at the thought of seeing the tiny little kits, the newest members of her former Clan. As she entered the area where they had fallen asleep after the trying ordeal, Dapplepelt opened her mouth to call a greeting to the young ThunderClan apprentice, but something made her stop short.

A faded cat, like one from StarClan except with no stars in its fur, stood over the sleeping queen and unconscious apprentice, watching the kits suckle contentedly with a hungry look on her face. She was larger than most she-cats, with matted tortoiseshell-and-white fur and a fluffy white tail, amber eyes gleaming.

Dapplepelt yowled in horror and fury, rushing forward to bowl into the other she-cat and drive her away from the peaceful scene. The faded cat screeched in shock and anger, whipping around to glare poisonously at Dapplepelt as she crouched beside the living cats, golden eyes dark with rage.

"How **_dare _**you come here?!" Dapplepelt spat, fur bristling all along her spine and shoulders, "After what you did to Stormstar-?!"

"Oh, you still call him that, do you?" the she-cat drawled, sick amusement in her eyes as Dapplepelt glared at her, "Because last time I checked, his name was Crookedstar."

"He would have been _Storm_star if his fox-hearted mother had had a shred of mercy for her son!" Dapplepelt snarled back.

The faded she-cat flicked her tail, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.

"What are you doing here, Mapleshade?!" Dapplepelt hissed, eyes narrowing into golden slits, glaring distrustfully at the other cat.

Mapleshade curled her lip, revealing her overly large, hideously yellow teeth. "Nothing at all, Dapplepelt. I simply wished to greet the newest members of RiverClan," she said nonchalantly.

"You know you are not allowed here!" Dapplepelt retorted.

Mapleshade let out a long hiss, displeased with being treated so by a _medicine cat, _of all things. "Do you really think you can drive me away, Dapplepelt? I think we both know there's no way you're strong enough to do that," she said menacingly, taking a step forward.

Dapplepelt shrank away from her, still between her and the living cats, but now there was a flicker of fear in her eyes as Mapleshade took a few steps closer, now only two fox-lengths from her quarry.

Suddenly, Dapplepelt lunged to her paws, throwing her head back and letting out a thundering caterwaul.

**_~Warriors~_**

Wind purred with amusement at what her mate Gorsestar had just said when her head whipped up, yellow eyes wide.

"What is it?" Gorsestar asked, coming to attention as his mate leapt to her paws, prompting him to scramble up as well.

"Trouble," was the only thing she said before sprinting away, her mate following right behind her.

**_~Warriors~_**

"-and anyway, what gives them the right to speak at Clan Gatherings, anyway?! Just because they're the most recent leaders of the Clans-!" Thunder's rant was cut short as he looked up, fiery ginger ears twitching.

"You hear it too?" asked River, whom the broad tom had been peppering with his complaints.

Shadow looked up from where she had been sharing a freshly caught frog with her mate Ravensmoke nearby. "Dapplepelt?" she mewed in confusion for a moment, recognizing the voice, before leaping up, fur bristling with alarm.

"She's in trouble!" exclaimed River, taking off in a dead sprint, determined to find his medicine cat and best friend before she got hurt, Thunder and Shadow racing behind him, and their mates – Rainsky, Hailfur and Ravensmoke – streaming after them in hot pursuit.

**_~Warriors~_**

Pebbleheart shot to his paws, eyes wide with horror as he heard the she-cat he cared for the most scream at the top of her lungs. Leafheart looked up at him, frozen in terror and shock.

As one, they shot toward RiverClan territory, Cloudspots not far behind them.

**_~Warriors~_**

Mothflight raced through the skies, her legs faster than the wind, clouds and the sun high above whipping by her in a blur as she dashed madly toward her best friend's call of distress. "StarClan give me speed, I can't be too late!" she cried, pushing herself faster and faster.

**_~Warriors~_**

Mapleshade yowled, lunging toward the delicate she-cat and springing onto her, twisting her claws furiously into her tortoiseshell fur.

Dapplepelt screeched in pain, forcing her paws to move and not fight back, carrying the pair further away from the living cats and behind a clump of bushes, where she was able to throw the deranged warrior off of her briefly.

"You **_dare _**attack a medicine cat?!" Dapplepelt spat, unsheathing her claws and getting into a defensive position, her tail lashing back and forth as the larger she-cat growled at her.

"Yes. _I dare_," she hissed, then whipped her head around to snarl, "Get out here, you lazy furballs!"

Three other faded cats stalked out of the bushes surrounding them, all of them with starless fur. Dapplepelt shrank to half her usual size as she saw them, terror and defiance warring within her eyes, neither emotion able to take dominance.

"Thistleclaw, Silverhawk and Snowtuft. Why am I not surprised?" the medicine cat meowed shakily, staring at Mapleshade with a look of scorn. "You can't even do your own dirty work; you force other cats to do it for you."

"SILENCE, YOU MANGY CUR!" Mapleshade snarled, leaping at the she-cat once again and fastening her teeth into her neck.

Dapplepelt yowled in pain, twisting sharply in an attempt to break free, but it was no use; the other she-cat was much too large and heavy to get away from. The three other cats, seeing their assistance was not needed, yowled and jeered, calling insults to the feebly struggling medicine cat.

Out of nowhere, a booming war-cry rent the air, and Wind and Gorsestar burst into the area, both with their claws already out. They flung themselves forward, Wind leaping onto Snowtuft while Gorsestar attempted to get to Mapleshade, but was stopped by Silverhawk. Thistleclaw ganged up with Snowtuft on Wind while Dapplepelt continued struggling against Mapleshade, alone, her efforts growing weaker with every heartbeat.

Thunder and River raced out of nowhere, Shadow appearing a moment later, and they split up, River heading to Mapleshade, fastening his claws deep into her back and raking her spine with his claws, making her howl in agony until she let go of Dapplepelt to turn and fight off the strong cat, leaving the delicate tortoiseshell to slump on the ground, bleeding from a gash in her throat and unable to move away. Thunder lunged at Thistleclaw, stopping him before he could jump onto Wind's back, and Shadow pounced on Silverhawk. Snowtuft yowled loudly, and three more cats thundered into the area, all from the Dark Forest; Shredtail, Maggottail, and Clawface, who fell into battle alongside their allies.

Ravensmoke, Hailfur and Rainsky appeared at the same time Pebbleheart, Leafheart and Cloudspots arrived. Pebbleheart took one look at Dappletail's limp body and his vision went red with rage. Caterwauling a horrible cry, he joined River in attacking Mapleshade, slicing her mercilessly with his claws.

Leafheart and Cloudspots raced to Dapplepelt's side while Ravensmoke, Hailfur and Rainsky split up, joining in the attack, trying to stay around Dapplepelt to protect her.

Clawface suddenly tried to break away from the battle, heading in the direction of the unconscious living cats nearby. "NO!" Ravensmoke howled, bowling into the large battle-scarred tom and knocking him over, leaping on top of him and scrapping his hind-paws in the tom's belly fur until he screeched in surrender. Snorting with contempt, Ravensmoke let the dark warrior go and he raced away into the trees, in the opposite direction of where he had been heading.

One by one, the Dark Forest cats broke away, sent crying out in pain into the bushes, back to the world of darkness and evil they had escaped from.

Eventually, the only cat left besides the StarClan warriors was Mapleshade. Her fur was ragged and torn, blood seeping from several cuts ranging along her body – the biggest from Pebbleheart when he had attacked her in a rage.

She was surrounded on all sides, but she just kept circling about, spitting in fury and glaring hatefully at the warriors around her. "Anyone else want a piece of me?! COME ON! I'll take you all beyond the stars with me!" she screeched the challenge, her amber eyes wide and deranged as she spun about, facing Shadow, then turning to Wind and Cloudspots, then Pebbleheart and Rainsky.

Mapleshade was about to call another challenge when a paw suddenly came to rest heavily on her shoulder. Freezing in place, the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat looked over. Mothflight stood right beside her, green eyes burning with a cold hatred as she glared at her. "**_Get out,_**" she hissed, her voice echoing with the whispered growls of a thousand ancient cats that came before her.

Mapleshade didn't need to be told twice – she having heard the legends of what happened to those who angered the first medicine cat. Spinning around, she raced through a purposely made gap between the starry cats, speeding back to the safety of the Dark Forest that was her home.

Mothflight, her fur lying flat again, turned to Dapplepelt's limp form beside Leafheart. The StarClan cats quickly moved away, allowing her easy access to her old friend; Leafheart scrambled backwards to get away, looking both terrified and in awe of her friend. None of the assembled cats had seen the medicine cat that angry in a long, long time. It was always incredibly unnerving to hear her speak with the voices of all their faded ancestors, who were far off and long since gone.

Mothflight slowly crouched next to Dapplepelt, examining her neck wound. Calmly, she scooped a paw-full of leaves up to press against her friend's wound.

The three other medicine cats set off in search of herbs, knowing exactly where to go. River and his mate Rainsky pressed close together, watching the white she-cat work silently on her patient.

Thunder, Hailfur, Wind, Gorsestar, Shadow and Ravensmoke edged away, giving the cats some space to do what they could for the mangled cat.

**_~Warriors~_**

Mudfur walked through the bushes on his way to the ThunderClan border near the stepping stones; Dapplepelt had not mentioned them, but it made sense that Skypaw had leaped across them to get to Dawnflower so he could avoid getting his fur wet.

As he stopped by the stepping stones, sniffing cautiously to determine where the young tom had raced off to, he heard violently rustling bushes behind him from the ThunderClan side of the river. Turning, the medicine cat caught sight of two ThunderClan apprentices streaking out of the undergrowth toward the stepping stones.

Mudfur recognized them by sight, though he did not know their names. They were the tabby-and-white and ginger-furred sisters of Skypaw. By the sight of their panicked expressions, Mudfur could guess that they were searching for their absent brother.

"Hold it!" he yelled across the river, making the apprentices skid to a stop, chests heaving as they caught their breath, staring at the old cat in bewilderment.

**_~Warriors~_**

Leafpaw had followed her brother's trail all the way to the RiverClan border, barely registering that the scent _should _be leading in the other direction. Squirrelpaw had asked no questions during the entire run, instead bounding beside her littermate in silence, which was quite unnatural for her, but Leafpaw appreciated her not breaking her concentration as she tracked the faint scent trail.

Skypaw's scent was very faint; he must've come here much earlier, Leafpaw realized dimly. She suddenly burst out onto the border, the river the only thing in between her and her brother, but she didn't care; she headed straight for the stepping stones.

"Hold it!" a voice yowled, and Leafpaw skidded to a stop, Squirrelpaw nearly crashing into her and sending them both into the water as they collapsed, heaving for breath as they gazed across the border to find RiverClan's medicine cat, Mudfur, looking at them bemusedly.

"Have you seen our brother Skypaw?!" Squirrelpaw burst out unexpectedly, making Leafpaw jump a bit. "Small, white-gray fur, blue eyes? ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice?"

Mudfur held up his tail to silence her, but Squirrelpaw kept rambling, so Leafpaw quickly slapped her tail over her sister's face to shut her up briefly.

"Your brother is fine, and safe at the moment. He's over here, actually," Mudfur said, gesturing with his tail to where he was.

"What?! Why would he be in RiverClan territory?" asked Leafpaw, her fur bristling with distrust and anger at the suggestion that her brother would so blatantly ignore the warrior code. Skypaw wasn't mouse-brained, every cat knew that.

But when she looked into the old tom's wise blue eyes, she saw no deceit in them, only faint amusement at the spectacle she and her sister made. "How about I bring him to you? I'm sure your parents are worried for you," he commented, looking up at the very dark sky. The crescent moon was rising behind the trees now, and it wouldn't do for three young apprentices to be walking about in the dark; even ThunderClan apprentices.

Leafpaw stood uncertainly, unsure of what course of action to take, so Squirrelpaw called back instead, "Fine, bring him here, please!"

**_~Warriors~_**

Mudfur nodded in acquiescence before turning back into the shrubbery, following the young cat's scent trail through the bracken and briars.

Eventually, the old cat stopped dead, surprised by the scene he found.

Dawnflower was curled on the ground, protectively around four tiny kits, who suckled happily, their eyes tightly shut. Skypaw was collapsed a few paces away, his tail drawn over his nose, his pelt haggard, looking for all the world like he had had a rough day, which obviously he had.

Mudfur paced forward, carefully inspecting Dawnflower and the kits so as not to wake them up. With a measure of satisfaction, Mudfur found that queen and kits were both flawless, neither of them at all showing any signs of pain or discomfort, so the old medicine cat concluded that the kitting had gone by easily and none of the kits had been harmed.

Looking over at the ThunderClan apprentice once again, Mudfur couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Cinderpelt; if only _he _had such an adept apprentice to aid him…

As he thought this, a slight chill filled the air, and Mudfur looked up sharply in slight alarm as he realized a pair of starry cats was standing nearby. They both carried the scent of stars and midnight, but there was the unmistakable tang of river water and fish on their pelts as well. The first was a tom with silver-gray fur and wide green eyes, and the she-cat standing alongside him was a small golden-tabby with amber eyes.

For several moments, neither starry cats spoke, and Mudfur remained where he was, wary of unintentionally incurring their wrath somehow.

Finally, the tom dipped his head in a slight nod, though he straightened up quickly. "_Greetings, Mudfur. We come on behalf of Dapplepelt, who is currently unable to come to you at this time,_" he meowed coolly, professionally, and somehow Mudfur knew this cat did not like him that much. It probably had to do with nearly apprenticing Mothwing…..

"_The gray she-kit, the smallest of the litter,_" mewed the tabby, drawing her tail along her companion's flank in a calming gesture, "_She is weak compared to the others. She is not a warrior at all. Her destiny lies on the path of a medicine cat, alongside you and all the others who have come before you._"

"_In six moons, you must take her as your apprentice, and teach her the ways of StarClan and prophecy._" The tom said, flicking his tail to gesture to the little scrap he was talking about.

"_We know you can do this, Mudfur. Dark times are coming to the forest, and you must make her and your Clan-mates ready for it,_" the she-cat finished solemnly, locking eyes with the living cat. Slowly, the pair began to fade into the shadows.

"Thank you," Mudfur rasped, slightly choked once again. After meeting Dapplepelt, he had reviewed in his mind the descriptions of all the legendary cats of RiverClan, and he knew the appearance of the Clan's first leader and his mate anywhere.

Once the cats faded completely, the light-brown tabby shuffled forward slowly, gazing down at the quartet of kits with a fond look on his face. One tom and three she-kits. Three warriors and one future medicine cat. He lifted a paw and gently patted the pale gray kit on the head.

"Welcome to RiverClan, my apprentice," he murmured quietly, before sighing and moving away to lightly prod the ThunderClan apprentice awake.

**_~Warriors~_**

River walked through StarClan with Rainsky at his side, anxiety shining in his deep green eyes.

"Do not worry my love," Rainsky mewed gently, pressing herself into her mate's side securely. "Mothflight can heal any wound. Dapplepelt will recover."

River sighed, shaking his head. "I know she will; it is wrong of me to doubt Mothflight's abilities. She will do whatever she can to help her. But…. It is not only Dapplepelt that worries me," he meowed seriously, his eyes glazing over with a sheen of light, making Rainsky tense beside him, staring up at him worriedly.

"Our old Clan is in great peril," he said ominously, "Especially with a leader as tenacious as Leopardstar. I fear she shall not agree to leave once the monsters come."

"Fear not for our Clan, my love," Rainsky said reassuringly, though there was a tremor in her voice as she said this, "Our descendants shall guide them to a new home, and Leopardstar cannot deny the signs telling them to leave once they become clear. The new moon is coming soon; the chosen cats shall meet, and we shall send them the sign they need. Everything will work out in the end."

River nodded his head slowly, his gaze fixing once again on the present. He glanced at his mate, the only she-cat he could ever truly love completely, and smiled at her ruefully. "I simply wish I had Mothflight's talent for prophecy; that way I could be certain of what lies ahead and not have to make guesses."

Rainsky purred, twining her tail with his and nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. "You do not need to see the future, River; all you need to do is watch the present, and hope for the best."

"Hope," murmured River, sounding as if he had just thought of the word for the first time in a long time, pressing the bottom of his chin over Rainsky's head as she nuzzled him.

"Yes, we could do with more of that."

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: ****WOW. Longest. Chapter. Ever. Seriously, this is the longest chapter I've ever written! ** Sorry about that, the ideas just kept coming for this one! I hope Mothflight didn't appear too Mary-Sue-ish, and if she did, that was not my intent. She is the catalyst of all cat's ancestors; she can't help but be pretty powerful.  
I was going to wait a little longer to update this, but my friend Copperfur put up a chapter of her own fanfiction for my birthday – which is in two days – so I decided to thank her by updating! Thank you and you're welcome, Copper!  
Anyway, Mudfur finds his apprentice, Dapplepelt got injured (will she survive?!) and we meet River and his mate, my OC Rainsky. What could possibly happen next?! Check it out next time!  
~Persephone


	16. 1 Chapter 14: Discussing the Future

Skypaw awoke with a grunt of surprise, feeling a paw poke his side to wake him up. Lifting his tail from his nose, he blearily opened his sky-blue eyes to find the light-brown figure of Mudfur standing over him, paw still raised to poke him again.

Skypaw sprang to his feet, scrambling awkwardly at the sudden rush of blood to his head. He shook it back and forth, trying to remember what had happened. Slowly, all the memories returned, and he spun around to see Dawnflower, still asleep nearby, apparently immune to the slight ruckus he had made getting up.

"You should go," a voice said softly, and Skypaw turned back to Mudfur in surprise. The old cat didn't look hostile. His eyes were calm and cool, very professional-looking, like a true medicine cat should be. "I expect your Clan is looking for you right now, boy. And my Clan is looking for young Dawnflower; despite what you did for her, it wouldn't be the best thing if they found you here."

Skypaw nodded slowly, reluctantly. He had at least wanted to say farewell to Dawnflower, but it appeared he would have to go without saying good-bye. "You'll take care of them?" he mewed, then realized it was a pretty stupid question; of course he would!

Mudfur twitched his ears, though he seemed more amused than annoyed, before gesturing in the direction of the ThunderClan border once more. "Go on," he meowed lowly, "They'll be fine in my care. Your sisters are waiting for you on the other side; best not keep them waiting, eh?"

Skypaw blinked in surprise, then straightened up and nodded gratefully to the old tom. Mudfur nodded back, then turned to the still-asleep she-cat and her kits.

**_~Warriors~_**

Skypaw raced through RiverClan territory, not wanting to be caught and attacked like he could have been. Mentally, he berated himself for falling asleep so easily on enemy land. '_Stupid!_' he snapped at himself repeatedly, '_Stupid, stupid mouse-brain!_'

The river came into sight, and he launched himself across the border onto the stepping stones, leaping from one to the other as quickly as a rabbit and landing with a skidding scramble on the other side.

"THERE YOU ARE!" exclaimed a voice, and suddenly Skypaw was being pressed from both sides by his sisters. Squirrelpaw was giving him a severe tirade, snarling that he was an idiot, while Leafpaw was licking his ears furiously, as if she hadn't seen him in a moon.

"AND JUST WHAT EXACTLY WERE YOU DOING IN RIVERCLAN TERRITORY, HUH?!" Squirrelpaw snarled at him, her tone both angry and terrified as she glared pointedly at him, green eyes blazing exactly like their father's.

Eventually, Skypaw was able to tell the story; some of it, at least – he left out the part where he was told to do this from StarClan. He simply said he'd been looking for a specific herb around the area when he heard Dawnflower, and how it had all escalated from there.

After he told them, Leafpaw's licking became even fiercer, though it wasn't worry that fueled her now; it was pride. "You delivered some kits all by yourself!" she mewed excitedly, rubbing muzzles with him quickly.

Squirrelpaw glared at her sister, exasperated. "That doesn't give him an excuse! What if some RiverClan warriors had found him before he got back?!" she snapped.

"Squirrelpaw, he wasn't breaking the code; he was helping a queen give birth! That's part of the medicine cat code; to go where-ever so they can help any cat in need, right?" Leafpaw asked, looking at Skypaw expectantly, but he was close to falling over. Despite his nap in RiverClan territory, he was still exhausted from the mental strain of aiding a kitting alone.

So, without further preamble, the sisters led the medicine cat apprentice back to the camp. It was slow going, the sky being dark and Skypaw too tired to move too quickly, but they eventually reached the ravine and went down through the gorse tunnel.

Once they got there, there was another explosion of questions when Sandstorm spotted them when she was coming out of the medicine den, which alerted the rest of the Clan and brought the entire situation to light. Bone-weary, Skypaw quickly explained what happened, and though this seemed to confuse a few of them, Skypaw couldn't care less.

Cinderpelt eventually was able to get him away from the crowd and back to his nest in the medicine den, where he lay down, closing his eyes immediately. "Well done, Skypaw; I'm proud of you," Cinderpelt purred, but he was already halfway asleep.

**_~Warriors~_**

His eyes opened to see the main camp clearing, but it was completely devoid of life, with no cats in sight; except one. A long-furred black tom stood near the Highrock, with a white chest, white ears, and white forepaws and blue eyes that looked startlingly similar to Skypaw's own. The tom was smiling at him warmly.

"Greetings, Skypaw," he meowed, and Skypaw realized with a start that the voice was Cloudspots'.

"Greetings, Cloudspots," he returned, though he was a bit uncertain whether or not this was actually him. From the look on the other cat's face, he'd got it right.

"I see your mission was a success," Cloudspots commented, his tail tip twitching slightly as he said this, as if he had something on his mind but was not expressing it.

"Yes, I guess it was," Skypaw mewed back hesitantly, wondering what could be bothering the starry cat, but before he could ask Cloudspots interrupted him.

"Mothflight has assigned me as your permanent StarClan mentor for the moment, so I shall be sharing signs with you from now on. What," he mewed with a knowing smirk at Skypaw's surprised expression, "-did you expect one of the pretty she-cats?"

Skypaw opened his mouth, about to deny what the older cat had said, but when he thought it over, he had to admit that, yes, he had expected Dapplepelt or Mothflight to continue guiding him through the stars. Cloudspots smirked at him, but he didn't criticize him.

"I admit, I would prefer to have a pretty she-cat in my head as well, but unfortunately that is not the case for our situation," he sighed, twitching his tail again.

"Where are Mothflight and Dapplepelt, though?" asked Skypaw, his curiosity aroused now, "Where have they gone?"

Cloudspots seemed more agitated, scuffing a paw in the earth beneath him. "All the ancient medicine cats are looking after their own Clans at the moment. Mothflight is looking after Crowpaw; Pebbleheart is watching ShadowClan's chosen cat, and Dapplepelt is doing the same. A friend of mine, Leafheart, is looking after a few other cats. Even our leaders have gained interest in what's happening, and they haven't bothered checking on the Clans in a _long _time," he mewed, flicking his ears slightly.

Skypaw felt his ears twitch with surprise as well, and the two toms lapsed into silence, neither seeming to know what to say.

Finally, Skypaw let out a weary sigh. "Sometimes I doubt what is to come. How can you be sure the Clans will survive this darkness, whatever it is?" he mewed seriously, meeting Cloudspots eyes evenly.

Cloudspots flicked his ears again. "I will not lie to you, Skypaw; the future is as uncertain for me as it is for you. Mothflight is the only one who can accurately see the future any time she wishes, but she is forbidden from telling us aside from vague prophecies and riddles. I have no idea about the coming danger either, and I am sorry I cannot answer your question, but perhaps this is for the best. We shall walk into the future and face it together; you, me, and all of the ancient cats who follow in your footsteps. How does that sound?" he meowed, raising an eyebrow at the apprentice.

Skypaw could do nothing but nod before his vision went black, and he continued to dream of hunting mice under the trees that he loved so much.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Shorter than some others, but it's about time we got to the new moon meeting. What will it bring? Will all the chosen cats arrive as expected? Will some unexpected guests arrive? Wait and see!  
P.S. I will be posting a side-story to this with a few one-shot stories about the ThunderClan trio as kits in the nursery; I don't know when I'll post it, but you can bet that it'll be soon!  
~Persephone**


	17. 1 Chapter 15: Meeting in Darkness

The next few days after the border incident with the vole and Sharppaw, when the moon became the merest scratch of light in the sky, seemed completely endless for Crowpaw. He was more anxious than ever now that he knew the prophecy was true and he was to meet the other chosen cats tonight.

He felt dread grip his heart as he thought more about it. Would the other cats come? What would happen when midnight came around? Would StarClan themselves come down to speak with them?! This last option seemed a little farfetched, but, considering Crowpaw himself had been visited by the Clan's first medicine cat, whom then proceeded to speak with the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice just to gain his trust and attention…..

At last, the night came where no moon rose from the edge of the sky, but the starlight was enough to guide him as he shot across the moorland, the wind racing through his fur like a gentle caress, and Crowpaw could swear he heard paw-steps running alongside his. He turned around once to make sure he wasn't being followed, but there was no one there.

Suspicious, he wasted several moments glaring at every heather or gorse bush in sight, wary of hiding followers, when a slightly familiar scent drifted past his nose. "_It was merely me, dear one,_" Mothflight purred in his ear, and he felt her lick his ear once affectionately, making him twitch with surprise. "_Come, let us go together."_

Needing no other incentive, Crowpaw raced the wind, coming in sight of the hollow guarded by the four sacred oak trees. '_Please, let me not be too late!_'

**_~Warriors~_**

Leafpaw awoke in the middle of the night with no idea why. For several heartbeats she lay there, looking up at the stars barely visible through the fern canopy over the apprentice's den, trying to figure out what had woken her. Then it came to her in a flash: _Squirrelpaw wasn't in her nest._

"Squirrelpaw?" Leafpaw hissed, raising her head to look for her absent sister. All that remained of her was her lingering scent. Leafpaw growled quietly under her breath; after Skypaw's little trip into RiverClan territory, Sandstorm and Firestar had been a little paranoid about letting any of the siblings out into the forest alone, insisting that their mentors went with them everywhere, but Squirrelpaw was stubborn, and had been complaining about their worry ever since the incident.

Now, Leafpaw doubted – make that _hoped _– her sister wasn't mouse-brained enough to go out alone at night only a few nights after it, but she could be wrong, so, without further ado, the tabby-and-white she-cat hauled herself to her paws and left the apprentice den, careful to stalk quietly like she was hunting lest any of the other apprentices awaken.

"Squirrelpaw!" Leafpaw hissed as she reached the clearing, looking around for her littermate, but as she came out, she saw the barest glimpse of a ginger-furred tail disappearing into the gorse tunnel entrance of the camp.

Seething with frustration as she realized her sibling was getting away, Leafpaw slunk through the camp, wary of anyone else seeing her, before pelting through the forest once she climbed up the ravine. Her sister's scent was pricked with excitement and apprehension, and just beneath it, Leafpaw could detect the sharp scent of one of the warriors – with a jolt, Leafpaw recognized it as Brambleclaw's scent. '_What are they doing, slinking out of camp in the middle of the night?_' Leafpaw mused to herself.

From what she had seen of the duo interacting, the two cats hated each other with a passion. Whitepaw and a few warriors gossiped that they were covering up for the fact that they really liked each other a lot, but Leafpaw could see the true malice glittering in her sister's eyes whenever she saw the tabby warrior, so she tossed the notion aside as she continued after them.

The trail led toward Fourtrees, which made Leafpaw slow down warily. She had always trusted Brambleclaw, but she had heard a few stories throughout the Clan that is was only a matter of time before he started conspiring with enemy Clan cats to get the leadership of ThunderClan, as his father had before him. Leafpaw had scoffed at the idea at the time, but now she couldn't deny the suspicion that flooded her.

What was he doing, going to Fourtrees on a new moon? Was he meeting anyone? Leafpaw had heard of his ShadowClan sister Tawnypelt, but she hadn't expected the warrior to do something so reckless just to meet his sibling.

As the top of the hollow came in sight, Leafpaw spotted Squirrelpaw standing at the top, apparently looking at something below her, before slinking down into the hollow after it.

Exasperated, yet cautious, Leafpaw slid into a hunter's crouch and crept closer, determined to find out what it was the two of them were doing.

**_~Warriors~_**

Brambleclaw leapt to his paws, his fur stiff with fury, as he stalked angrily toward the ginger apprentice in front of him. "What are you doing here?!" he hissed lowly, amber eyes darkening in his anger.

Squirrelpaw lifted her chin, a proud, defiant look on her face. "I couldn't sleep and saw you leaving camp, so I followed along. Good, huh? You never even knew I was there, did you?" she let out an amused purr.

"Go back to the camp!" Brambleclaw spat so furiously the she-cat stumbled back a step, looking shocked. "This has nothing to do with you!"

Squirrelpaw regained her fierce air, her chin lifting in pure defiance as she snarled back, "It _is _my business when a ThunderClan warrior goes sneaking off in the middle of the night without telling any cat where he's going! What are you here for, Brambleclaw?! I demand that you tell me!"

"I don't have to explain anything to you," the tabby warrior retorted hotly, eyes still narrowed into slits.

Squirrelpaw opened her mouth to deliver a stinging comment when a voice suddenly called out from the ShadowClan side of the hollow.

"What in StarClan….? I thought there was one cat in each Clan. Did you _both _have the dream?!"

**_~Warriors~_**

Leafpaw crouched on the very edge of the clearing, just inside the undergrowth, listening to her sibling and Brambleclaw argue. At one point she nearly sprang out, afraid that Brambleclaw would attack her sister, but she was able to relax a moment later when he just told her to go.

After several moments, as Squirrelpaw was about to snarl at him once again, Leafpaw turned along with the pair in the clearing in the direction of the familiar voice.

As she saw the speaker, Leafpaw felt her eyes bulge and her mouth drop open. "That's...!"

**_~Warriors~_**

The two ThunderClan cats tensed as a pair of ShadowClan cats emerged from the bushes. Brambleclaw was shocked to see his sister was one of them; Squirrelpaw was shocked to see another familiar face alongside her.

"Tawnypelt!"

"Smokepaw!"

Indeed, it was the young black apprentice walking alongside his tortoiseshell mentor, his green eyes observing the duo in front of him with wide, unconcealed interest. He padded forward despite his mentor's warning hiss and looked hopefully at the pair of cats. "So did you have the dream as well? Are you the other cats in the prophecy?" he mewed, eyes shining.

Brambleclaw stiffened at his words, but Squirrelpaw looked back and forth between the two of them, clearly befuddled. "Prophecy? What's he talking about?"

"The prophecy from StarClan, telling us of great danger ahead," Smokepaw replied with a serious look on his face, his green eyes staring at the ginger she-cat curiously. "Why, don't you know?"

"No, she followed me here," Brambleclaw interrupted, glaring at Squirrelpaw briefly before looking at the two ShadowClan cats curiously. "So, did you both have it?"

"No, I didn't," mewed Tawnypelt, flicking an ear, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"I was worried about the dream and slacked off on training, so I had to tell her why," Smokepaw mewed, flattening his ears in embarrassment.

"Not surprising," mewed a new voice, making the four cats jump in surprise. "That sounds like one heck of a crazy dream!"

The assembled cats whirled back to the ThunderClan side of the hollow to find Leafpaw standing there, head raised as if to challenge any cat who tried to make her leave.

"Leafpaw!" Smokepaw exclaimed, looking shocked, and Leafpaw nodded to him.

"Hey, Smokepaw. Long time no see," she mewed casually, amber eyes flicking from one cat to the other slowly.

"And what are _you _doing here?!" asked Brambleclaw, sounding torn between exasperation and panic at having so many cats following him out of camp.

"I noticed Squirrelpaw leaving and followed her," she mewed easily, flicking her tail to indicate her startled-looking sister. Leafpaw cast her over-confident sister a look. "You're not as good as you think you are; I noticed you left just a moment after you did."

Squirrelpaw looked properly chastened, flicking her ears in a humble submission to her sister.

"Well, shouldn't we drive them off? I'll help," Tawnypelt offered, flexing her claws underneath her. Both apprentices bristled at her words, and she snorted. "Neither of you had the dream; you shouldn't be here."

"You didn't have it either!" Squirrelpaw shot back at her.

"No, but _I _was invited," Tawnypelt retorted, green eyes flashing at the apprentice in front of her. Leafpaw quickly slid in between the two of them.

"Alright, alright, let's stay calm here; if StarClan called cats together, we shouldn't start fighting. They may want to speak with us, and I doubt they'll come if fur is flying everywhere!" she mewed calmly, though her fur was ruffled at Tawnypelt's words as well.

Brambleclaw sighed heavily, as if about to do something incredibly hard, before meowing, "Leave them be, Tawnypelt; if we send them away now, they'll both go straight to Firestar, and then the prophecy will be hindered even more."

Tawnypelt drew back at that, though her eyes stayed narrowed at the littermates. They returned the cool look evenly, green and amber reflecting the same confidence their father's eyes carried.

"Look!" Smokepaw's excited meow broke the glaring contest, and the cats all turned to see a pair of cats silhouetted against the starlight on the RiverClan side of the hollow. They paused for a moment before plunging down into the undergrowth, appearing at the bottom moments later.

Leafpaw felt her jaw drop when she saw Feathertail and Stormfur standing in front of the assembled cats.

Stormfur was glaring at them all distrustfully, but Feathertail's eyes were shining. "So, did you _all _have the dream?" she mewed, sounding half confused, half excited, her tail waving in the air behind her.

"No," mewed Smokepaw, green eyes wide, "Brambleclaw and I did; Tawnypelt came with me, and Leafpaw and Squirrelpaw followed Brambleclaw."

"I had the dream too; it scared me so much!" Feathertail exclaimed, looking a bit embarrassed as she went on, "I couldn't eat or sleep for thinking about it. Stormfur realized something was wrong and pestered me into telling him, and then he insisted on coming with me here."

"Hey Feathertail, I can speak for myself, thanks," Stormfur mewed. Feathertail looked back at him, startled, and opened her mouth to apologize before Stormfur smirked at her and swiped his tail over her ear. Realizing he was messing with her, Feathertail broke off in a purr and butted his shoulder with her head.

"So, who's the fourth cat?" asked Tawnypelt, bringing them all back to attention.

"Well, doesn't it make sense that it would be some cat from WindClan? There's been one cat from each Clan so far," Leafpaw suggested, nodding her head in agreement with her own assessment.

"What I don't understand is why _any _of you were chosen," Squirrelpaw piped up, green eyes glaring at each of the foreign Clan cats warily, "Why would StarClan speak to you instead of our leaders and medicine cats?"

"That's exactly the same question I want answered," Stormfur growled, pressing against Feathertail protectively. She sent him a worried look, running her tail along his flank in an attempt to calm him.

"Perhaps we have to do something the leaders and medicine cats can't do?" suggested Smokepaw, ear twitching as he looked from one cat to another.

"That might be it," mewed Feathertail, looking thoughtful.

"What's going on here?!" a new voice spoke up, wary and a tad hostile, "Deadfoot and the others said it would just be three others."

Standing just a few fox-lengths away was Crowpaw, smoky grey-black fur bristling and blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at the group in front of him.

"Crowpaw!" Leafpaw exclaimed, gaping at the WindClan apprentice widely, not expecting him to show up at all.

"Leafpaw," he said coolly, nodding in her direction before raking his gaze over the cats in front of him. "Well?! Why are there so many cats here?!"

"This is a WindClan cat?" Tawnypelt asked skeptically, looking Crowpaw up and down dismissively. "A bit of an undersized specimen, isn't he?"

"He's just an apprentice! I'm sure he'll grow much bigger!" Leafpaw defended him hotly as Crowpaw drew his lips back in a snarl at the ShadowClan warrior.

"I don't need your help!" Crowpaw snapped at her furiously, making the she-cat flinch slightly. She knew he probably didn't mean it – Crowpaw didn't seem the type to accept help easily – but it still hurt for him to snap at her.

"Hey, don't yell at her, fox-breath!" Squirrelpaw spat angrily, whirling on the lean dark apprentice. Crowpaw hissed, dropping into a fighting crouch, Squirrelpaw doing the same.

Mortified that her sister and friend were about to fight over her, Leafpaw quickly butted into Squirrelpaw, sending her off balance and making her wobble to steady herself again. "Hey! I'm trying to help you, mouse-brain! _He's _the real enemy here!" she hissed, glaring at her littermate narrowly.

"No, he isn't!" Leafpaw spat back just as angrily, surprising the other ThunderClan cats with her ferocity as she continued, "StarClan called him and the others here to fulfill a prophecy! Therefore, we can't hurt them, or it might jeopardize the mission and put the Clans in danger! We can't have that happening!"

Squirrelpaw looked torn between following what her ever-logical sister said and just clawing the stupid WindClan furball anyway. Said WindClan furball was staring at Leafpaw, though she couldn't see him. He was honestly shocked. She'd made sense with her argument – as usual – but he still didn't understand; he was WindClan, she was ThunderClan. Despite their friendship, she should've backed her sister up in the fight, not joined his side! Crowpaw resolved right then and there that he'd figure out the mystery she-cat that was Leafpaw of ThunderClan somehow, some-way, prophecy or no prophecy.

Besides, nothing said they couldn't fulfill the dreams without having fun while doing it, and figuring this odd ThunderClan apprentice out would be enough of a puzzle to keep Crowpaw occupied for moons.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Crappy place to end it, I know, but I just wanted to get this fricking chapter over with. This one was particularly difficult to write (don't ask why, I don't know) but I discovered that opera music helps me focus on writing, so I listened to music from the opera 'Carmen' while writing this, and ****_BANG! _****Here is the result! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time!  
~Persephone**


	18. 1 Chapter 16: Plan of Action

**A/N: I'll keep this short and sweet: the newest Warriors book, 'The Sun Trail' and the rest in the '_Dawn of the Clans_' series are all about the beginning days of the Clans. They'll more than likely include some of the ancient cats already mentioned in this fic (Wind, Thunder, Mothflight, Cloudspots, etc.), but this does not mean I will be changing my fic to suit those stories. This is an AU, after all; Erin Hunter can write what she wants, and I can write what I want. I just wanted you all to know that in case someone decided my fic was too non-canon or something.**

The air in Fourtrees was tense and uncomfortable, all of the assembled cats shooting each other wary and sometimes hostile looks as they awaited midnight and it's incoming message. Leafpaw had dragged Squirrelpaw to the side and they sat awkwardly, keeping an eye on the cats assembled in the center of the clearing.

"So, what do you think this is all about?" Squirrelpaw eventually asked, making Leafpaw look up in surprise. "Prophecies, dreams, danger ahead…. It all sounds pretty nutty to me," she continued, looking over at her tabby-and-white sister uncertainly.

Leafpaw's tail lashed over the ground, her eyes darting to the dirt underneath her paws as she thought about their current situation. This was big. No; this was _huge. _The last time a major prophecy such as this one had come to the Clans, the horrifying BloodClan had nearly wiped the forest cats out and taken their territory, prey, and everything they held dear away from them. And _this _prophecy apparently expressly told about incoming disaster…

"I think they're telling the truth," Leafpaw mewed after a few moments, lifting her gaze to see the chosen cats conversing quietly in the clearing. In the corner of her eye, Leafpaw saw Squirrelpaw open her mouth as if to protest, but Leafpaw plowed on before she could be interrupted, "Think about it; how could they have all had the same exact dream telling them to come to Fourtrees at the new moon? And why would they joke about something as serious as this? StarClan would not approve if a bunch of cats got together to pull some incredibly large prank that could cause mass hysteria through the Clans."

Squirrelpaw's mouth closed, and she looked away as if mulling this new perspective over. Leafpaw left her to it, content to sit in silence with her sibling by her side.

For how long they waited there, no cat knew; hours probably, with the other cats quickly growing antsy and jittery the colder the night got. Leafpaw herself began to twitch occasionally, her ears swiveling around to try and catch the sound of some ethereal warrior stepping out to speak with them, but all she heard was the wind sighing quietly through the great oak branches overhead.

"Well, this is certainly boring!" Smokepaw said rather suddenly, making Leafpaw jump at the sound of his voice. He sounded cheerful, but his tone carried a hint of tiredness and exasperation.

"It must be past midnight by now," said Tawnypelt, getting to her paws from where she had sat beside her apprentice and stretching stiffly, flexing her shoulder muscles as she said, "I don't think StarClan are coming."

"But they have to come!" Feathertail exclaimed, jumping to her paws with an anxious energy humming through her body, her light blue eyes scanning the clearing all around them as if to spot some invisible specter none of them could see. "Why would we all have the same dream if it weren't true?!"

"Then why isn't anything happening?" Stormfur pointed out to her gently, pressing his muzzle to his sister's shoulder in an attempt to calm her, "We're here, at the new moon, just as StarClan said. We can't do any more than this if they don't tell us their plans."

"Where are they?" asked Brambleclaw asked quietly, his own amber eyes darting over the clearing, "Why would they call us here and then not send us a sign? What's the point of meeting up if we don't know what else to do?"

"I'm sure they're up to something; perhaps we only had to meet for the time being? Maybe they can't send the sign for some reason," Crowpaw said reasonably, making the other cats stare at him in surprise, which in turn caused his fur to fluff up defensively. "What?! I can't make sophisticated observations?"

"But _why _wouldn't they be able to send us the sign?" asked Smokepaw, tilting his head to follow this new train of thought. "Is it because we brought cats that weren't mentioned in the prophecy?"

Crowpaw snorted, his tail flicking back and forth. "I doubt _that _would stop Mot- StarClan from sending us a sign we _needed _to see," he responded. He seemed to have noticed that Leafpaw and Smokepaw had caught onto his slip-up, but dutifully ignored the curious glances he received from the both of them.

"Well, what should we do then?" Feathertail asked, whiskers twitching with apprehension. "We can't just pretend we never had those dreams. What if StarClan sends us another sign when we leave?"

"What can we do?" Tawnypelt asked, flicking her tail over to Squirrelpaw. "Maybe she's right; why would StarClan choose _us _and not our leaders to handle this?"

"I think they _have _chosen you," Leafpaw suddenly piped up, startling her ginger littermate as she got to her feet and padded into the clearing, meeting the other cat's surprised gazes with her own confident smile. "It's possible you just didn't understand what they meant, or they were using some sort of code. It's very likely that one of you will receive another sign later on to explain the situation better."

The assembled cats stared at her in shock for a while, not knowing what to say.

Finally, after several heartbeats of awkward pause, Crowpaw snorted. "Since when are you a medicine cat? **(A/N: Oh, the irony!)** How can you be so sure that's how this whole thing is going to work out?" he challenged her theory, blue eyes meeting amber as they had a stare down, neither willing to back down in front of a crowd like this.

"I am not, nor have I ever been a medicine cat, **(A/N: **_**More **_**irony!) **andI can't say I know a whole lot about prophecies, but it's just like what Brambleclaw said earlier; why would StarClan call all of you, specifically _you four cats, _here without a purpose?" Leafpaw mewed, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Maybe they're nuts," Crowpaw muttered, in a tone so low Leafpaw was sure he wasn't meant to be overheard, but she heard him all the same.

"Oh, on the contrary, I think they're quite intelligent; my only question for them would be why would they choose a couple of apprentices to save the Clans?" Leafpaw asked, looking from him to Smokepaw and back again, feeling her lips curve upward at the indignant looks spreading across both said apprentice's faces.

"I think that's enough flirting for one night," said Squirrelpaw, appearing beside her sister out of nowhere and breaking into their conversation.

"Flirting?!" Crowpaw hissed, Leafpaw spluttering incoherently at the word as Smokepaw, Feathertail, Stormfur, and Brambleclaw broke into a bout of amused purring, shooting each other conspiratorial glances over the duo's heads.

"W-wh-what?! Flirting?! With _him?! _You have _got _to be joking, Squirrelpaw! As if I'd _ever!_" Leafpaw squealed in protest, Crowpaw nodding in agreement to her words.

"Back to the point," Brambleclaw intervened before the situation could get worse, "I think we should all try to go to the next Gathering; perhaps StarClan will send us a sign by then, yes?" He looked around, making sure the others nodded in agreement to the plan before nodding himself. "Good. Now, I think it's time we all headed back; our Clan-mates will notice before long that we were gone half the night."

"Who made you the boss?" Tawnypelt asked him playfully, butting his shoulder with her head affectionately.

Smirking, Brambleclaw turned away from her without a word and began padding away from the group.

"Alright, at least we have a plan now," said Feathertail, her eyes shining with relief as she and Stormfur followed suit, heading back to RiverClan territory.

Smokepaw watched them leave, then directed his green eyes back to Leafpaw, a wide smile lighting up his face. "So, I'll see you at the next Gathering, then?" he asked, tail twitching slightly.

Leafpaw grinned back at him, amber eyes wide with excitement. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" she mewed, swiping her tail over his ear.

Smokepaw purred and opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted by a "Smokepaw!" Turning, he saw his tortoiseshell mentor standing near the ShadowClan border, eyes alighting with impatience. "Move your tail! We're still training tomorrow, you know!"

Rolling his eyes, he got to his paws and, sending Leafpaw one last grin, sprinted over to join his mentor, and together they too disappeared in the darkness of the nighttime forest, leaving Leafpaw and Crowpaw as the only two in the clearing, Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw just inside the tree-line on the ThunderClan side.

"See you later, then," Crowpaw meowed, his tone a bit awkward, and Leafpaw couldn't help but curse her sister silently about making things weird with that 'flirting' line.

"Okay," Leafpaw mewed, giving him a smile as well; it was smaller than the exuberant grins she'd given Smokepaw, but it was no less sincere. "Bye."

Jerking his head in a quick nod, Crowpaw turned and darted away, shooting across the clearing so fast he was a blur before disappearing across the WindClan border, his exit swift enough to make Leafpaw blink slightly in surprise.

"Come on, you lazy furball!" Squirrelpaw yowled, startling Leafpaw and making her spin around to see her sister and Brambleclaw looking at her with identical looks of exasperation and impatience.

Her fur searing with embarrassment, Leafpaw raced over to them, eager to return to the camp for some well-deserved rest.

_**~Warriors~**_

"That was so _exciting!_ Brambleclaw, you have to invite us to any more meetings you have, _please! _I never thought I'd be part of a prophecy from StarClan!" Squirrelpaw meowed enthusiastically, her paws practically dancing under her as she ran alongside the two tabby cats under the trees of ThunderClan, her fur fluffed in excitement as she stared at the older tom.

"You're _not _part of it," Brambleclaw corrected her coldly, "StarClan never sent _either of you _the dream."

"But we know about it, don't we? I'm sure StarClan could've driven us away if they didn't want us there," Leafpaw said diplomatically, glancing at the young warrior with a proud smirk when he seemed to wince at her words of wisdom.

"Brambleclaw, _come on! _We could help! We won't tell anyone about tonight, and we would follow every order you gave us!" Squirrelpaw insisted, green eyes pleading with him to agree.

Brambleclaw snorted with laughter. "And hedgehogs might fly."

"No, we will! We promise!" Leafpaw exclaimed, leaping into the warrior's path and making him skid to a halt to avoid a nasty collision with the small tabby-and-white as she gazed up at him, eyes wide. Squirrelpaw quickly slid to her sister's side, aiding her in begging the warrior into submission. "We won't tell _anyone; _you can trust us on that, at least."

For several long moments, it seemed the large tabby would decline, his eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the two apprentices in front of him with a stern look on his face. Leafpaw didn't let up her look, hope and excitement and pleading all mixed into her swirling amber pools as she looked up at the tom. Squirrelpaw's own green depths were full of determination, apprehension, and unswerving ferocity.

Finally, his broad shoulders slumping in a sigh, Brambleclaw hissed out a long breath. "Alright, _fine, _I'll let you know if anything else happens; but _only _if you keep your mouths _shut."_

Squirrelpaw's tail shot straight up, a smug yet thankful smile on her face as Leafpaw's eyes blazed with delight. "Thanks Brambleclaw!"

Brambleclaw sighed heavily, as if this were the hardest thing he had ever done, but Leafpaw ignored that in favor of looking up through the tree canopy overhead to spot the small dots of Silverpelt far above. '_Please, guide us to our destiny; if the Clans are in peril, give us the strength to save them,_' she silently prayed, closing her eyes and trying to feel if any of her warrior ancestors were nearby.

Of course, she didn't sense anything other than the two living cats beside her, but hey, one can dream, right?

_**~Warriors~**_

"Ah, if only she knew!" Leafheart sighed, sitting silently on the edge of a branch above where the trio of living cats had passed under on their route to the ThunderClan camp. "I think she would be quite shocked to find out she was being watched over by StarClan warriors, don't you agree?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Sky agreed, appearing out of nowhere to sit beside her old friend and medicine cat.

Four other cats shimmered into existence around them – Hawkflight, Sky's mate, and their other friends, Thunder (first leader of ThunderClan) and his mate Hailfur.

"It is pretty weird to be stalked by dead cats you can't see or hear, don't you think?" Thunder agreed with the two she-cats, smirking over at his fellow tom, and his mate beside him.

Hawkflight snorted. "We're keeping an eye on them to make sure they don't do anything mouse-brained; though it doesn't help much when the one watching them _is _a mouse-brain," he added dryly, making Thunder shove him good-naturedly to make him lose his balance a little, though Hawkflight quickly rebalanced himself and shot the ancient leader a hard glare.

Hailfur purred in amusement, shaking her head at their antics. "I swear, you two are like a pair of squabbling kits," she muttered, swiping her tail over her mate's ear.

Thunder grinned at her. "It's what brothers do, Hailfur dear; we never stop bickering, even after we're dead and buried."

Hawkflight rolled his eyes but didn't protest this point. Sky leaned over to lick her mate's cheek, a soft smile on her face. "How you turned out so wonderful when you're related to _him, _I'll never know," she said, twitching her ears to indicate his sibling, who let out a very bird-like squawk of protest.

"I happen to be a wonderful cat, thank you very much!" Thunder said haughtily, nodding his head at his own words as if adding his agreement with what he just said helped the situation.

Leafheart placed her tail over her mouth, trying to suppress the purrs of laughter from escaping her as Hawkflight huffed at his younger sibling's behavior, Hailfur and Sky grinning to each other sheepishly as if to ask, 'why did we mate with these mouse-brains again?'

"And another thing-!" the large ginger tom tried to continue, but suddenly a new cat took form on the branch, landing gracefully on it and keeping their balance carefully despite the lack of room with five other cats already on it.

"Leafheart, Sky, Hawkflight; Mothflight requests your presence at the Moonstone," the gray she-cat said, golden eyes quickly zeroing in on the ancient SkyClan cats she was looking for.

Immediately all humor disappeared from the trio's eyes. "Is it Leafstar? Does Echosong require assistance?" Leafheart asked, getting to her paws alongside her leader and friend to face the other she-cat with her muscles tensing, prepared to sprint off to the moorland.

The gray cat shook her head. "I know not what it could be; Mothflight simply said it was urgent. I suggest you go now," she said, tone light, but carrying an edge of anxiety. Sky needed no further invitation; she leapt off the branch and raced through the woodlands, her form disappearing as her soul flew toward its destination, her mate and medicine cat quickly following suit.

_**~Warriors~**_

The trio of ancient cats reappeared on the edge of the moorland of StarClan territory. Leafheart tilted her head back to gaze up at the jagged peaks of Highstones in front of them. Leafheart blinked, concern entering her green gaze as she saw dark clouds beginning to gather above the rocks, thunder grumbling ominously and the winds picking up around the area, almost strong enough the knock the cats off their paws.

'_Not good!_' she thought, quickly struggling toward the entrance of Mothermouth alongside her companions, '_It doesn't get this bad unless Mothflight's __**really mad **__or something __**really bad **__is about to happen!_'

Entering the dark tunnel and freeing herself from the wind's howling grip, Leafheart shot down the dark passageways, leading the way and turning left and right on instinct alone as she followed the trail only she could see that led her deeper and deeper under the ground and toward her destination.

"Mothflight!" Sky exclaimed, skidding to a halt as they burst into the Moonstone chamber. The stone was glowing like it usually did during a full moon, but there was an extra addition beside it now; Mothflight paced back and forth beside the holy stone, her tail lashing and green eyes filled with anxiety.

Sky trotted up to her, amber eyes sparking with concern as she demanded, "What is it, what's happened? Is SkyClan in danger?"

"_Again," _Hawkflight added at the end, his own tail lashing as his yellow eyes narrowed in anger and preparation for a fight.

Mothflight stopped pacing, but her tail still twitched back and forth as she met the amber gaze of the leader in front of her. "Yes, unfortunately; it seems your descendants have a rather hard time keeping out of trouble nowadays," she said, no humor in her voice at all.

"What's wrong?" Leafheart mewed, green eyes swirling with worry for her former Clan members.

"It's got something to do with those _daylight-warriors, _hasn't it?!" Sky snarled, spitting out the word like it was poison. Not even bothering to allow Mothflight time to reply, she spat, "Oh, I _knew _they were going to be trouble! Warriors that go to Twoleg nests to sleep at night?! Warriors that accept those rabbit droppings they call food?! Warriors who allow themselves to be _petted _by those filthy things?! Pathetic! Disgraceful! I don't care if they carry even a _drop_ of SkyClan blood in their veins; if they cannot commit themselves fully to the Clan, they do not deserve the _slightest _mention of the title _warrior _when they introduce themselves! What was Leafstar thinking, allowing them to stay part-time and still allowing them to be considered Clan members?! Why, I ought to-!"

"Sky!" Hawkflight meowed loudly, bringing his mate out of her tirade and allowing her to stop and gasp for breath, amber eyes still sparkling with fury as he slid up beside her, pressing his muzzle to her shoulder to calm her down.

Leafheart looked distinctly ruffled by her leader's ferocity, but Mothflight wasn't daunted in the slightest; rather, she looked quite amused.

"If you're finished, maybe I can tell you what the problem is," she said blandly, making Sky duck her head down and bury it in Hawkflight's neck to avoid the embarrassment that flooded her as she realized how out of hand she'd gotten within a few moments.

"Now then," Mothflight continued once the three SkyClan cats settled down beside her, the Moonstone glowing brightly behind them, "There is a group of rogues heading toward SkyClan territory that may cause some trouble…"

_**~Warriors~**_

**A/N: And that's the end of that! Whew, I'm exhausted! If you're wondering what Sky is freaking out about and what rogues Mothflight is warning them about, you'll have to read 'SkyClan's Destiny' to understand. Anyway, I think that's all! See you all later!  
~Persephone**


	19. 1 Chapter 17: Training

"Duck!"

_Whoosh! _A soft sound in the air as a sheathed paw arced through the air, missing its intended target.

"Now roll!"

_Fwip!_

"Wait for him to attack…."

_Whoom! _The larger cat leapt forward.

"Now, slid under and scratch his belly!"

The cat did exactly that, flipping around underneath their attacker and battering their soft belly fur with sheathed paws for a few moments before the larger cat wriggled off, puffing slightly at the lack of air this move caused. The cat quickly got back to his paws as well and got into a battle crouch, ready for any move the other made.

"I think that's enough; you executed that move perfectly!" meowed the same voice who had been calling instructions, and suddenly a third cat appeared in the training hollow in between the other two, looking at the smaller of the duo with pride.

"Cloudspots, we can't be done yet!" Pebbleheart growled, stalking up to his ThunderClan colleague's side, "The boy still has a long way to go to actually be a challenge for me!"

"Skypaw did quite well; and besides, he's not training to be a warrior like you did originally, mouse-brain!" Cloudspots admonished the gray tabby, whom merely growled in response as the grey-white apprentice relaxed out of his fighting stance, blue eyes bright from his mentor's praise.

"Great! I thought it would never end!" he sighed, sitting down abruptly on his haunches to pant quickly and evenly, trying to regain his breath. The two StarClan cats exchanged amused glances at this, which the apprentice dutifully ignored in favor of calming his racing heart. "Why are you even teaching me attack moves, anyway?" he puffed, regaining the older cats' attention, "I'm a medicine cat; I don't fight."

"Do you have bees in your brain, boy?! A medicine cat doesn't just sit back and watch if the Clan is attacked; sometimes, when healing isn't enough, you have to defend you Clan-mates the only other way, and that's by fighting alongside them!" Pebbleheart growled fiercely, sitting straight up with his tail in the air, looking so much like a proud warrior that is was hard for Skypaw to see him as a medicine cat.

Cloudspots let out a _mrrow _of amusement, cuffing Pebbleheart on the head lightly. "Pebble here was the most ferocious medicine cat around; if any of the other Clans attacked, he'd be right smack dab in the middle of the front defense lines, never mind the fact that he should have been staying back with the queens and elders to look after injuries. Poor Acornshade had to handle injured warriors _and _her own injured mentor during a battle!" he said, rolling his eyes as Pebbleheart growled at him.

"Acornshade understood that herbs weren't the only way to aid the Clan! She did her duty in healing, and she was also an adept fighter! She was the greatest apprentice a cat could ask for!" he snapped, his chest puffing out proudly as he boasted about his former protégé.

Skypaw watched the exchange, his whiskers twitching with suppressed amusement as Cloudspots gave Pebbleheart an exasperated look that looked like he wanted to say, "_Are you a mouse-brain or something?_"

Suddenly, a muffled voice sounded in Skypaw's ear, making it twitch and he turned his head slightly, gaining the attention of his two bickering mentor-figures.

"Ah! It seems Cinderpelt is in need of your assistance once again!" Cloudspots said good-naturedly, not bothered in the least that he wasn't given more time with his newest apprentice.

"Sorry," said Skypaw, turning back to look at the older cats with a sheepish expression on his face. "Guess I gotta go!"

"Take your time!" Cloudspots assured him. "The Clan always comes first! Leave us old-timers to squabble and help the next generation!"

"And just _who _exactly are you calling _old?!_" Pebbleheart demanded, his ears flattening and his eyes narrowing until they looked downright murderous.

Skypaw didn't hear Cloudspots' cheeky retort because the dream-world suddenly faded away into darkness; a darkness that disappeared when he opened his eyes back in the real world to find himself in his nest in the medicine den, a rather exasperated Cinderpelt standing over him with a paw raised as if to prod him awake.

"It's about time!" she teased him, swiping her tail over his face in mock punishment for taking so long, "I thought you'd gone into hibernation! Come on," she added, turning away from him to limp toward the den entrance, calling to him over her shoulder, "We'll grab a quick bite of fresh-kill, then we need to go looking for more herbs! The stocks are running low again!"

Skypaw yawned as he scrambled to his paws, hurriedly stretching the kinks out of his back and trotting after his living mentor, content to listen to her complain at his apparent laziness in the mornings.

**_~Warriors~_**

The sun was still fairly low in the sky when they set off into the forest, birds warbling lazily in their nests as they awoke from a good night's sleep. The morning mist hung heavy in the air, stubbornly refusing to be burned away as quickly as it usually was. The mist made everything a bit muted, but Skypaw didn't mind; he actually really like mornings like these. With the forest encompassed completely in gray, it made the colors of plants stand out a lot more than they did when everything was green and bright and obvious, and it also helped mute the sound of Twolegs on the Thunderpath or at the Treecut Place.

"Snakerocks is the best place for chervil, but we can't go there just now, thanks to that wretched badger," commented Cinderpelt as she limped along the fern-shaded path, her tone scathing as she shook her head in irritation. Skypaw twitched an ear, understanding her frustration; having a known place filled with herbs invaded by hostile predators was incredibly vexing, as they couldn't get the supplies they needed until the predator either moved on or was driven off.

He sighed; they could be out here looking around for half the day if they couldn't find anything to restock their herb store. "I think I saw some watermint near Sunning-Rocks a few days ago," he mewed, trying to go back in his memory to think of any other place he'd seen some herbs on the territory.

"Oh, those were still growing; we don't want to pick anything too young. We need them in their prime, unless of course we're desperate," Cinderpelt said in her 'listen-I'm-teaching' tone of voice, which Skypaw was apt to listen to even if he didn't want to hear it.

"Then, how about that lavender near the Great Sycamore? That was ripe enough, wasn't it? And I swear I saw some coltsfoot near there too," Skypaw meowed, racking his brains as hard as he could. He couldn't help it; as much as he loved Cinderpelt, he wanted the day to be over already so he could talk to his 'mentors of the beyond' again.

"Slow down, Skypaw; we can find what we need one-by-one, not all at once! Take a breath!" Cinderpelt admonished him, flicking her tail over his ear like she was wont to do when he got impatient, which was rare.

Skypaw huffed a breath, deciding to try calming himself as he followed his crippled mentor through the ferns, heading toward the ThunderClan-RiverClan border.

"Aha!" Cinderpelt suddenly exclaimed, speeding up slightly to crouch next to a holly bush, which had a clump of borage growing next to it. Skypaw blinked, before shaking his head exasperatedly; he should've noticed that earlier! '_Mouse-brain!_' he snapped to himself, '_Keep your mind in the forest, not in the clouds!_'

He trotted forward to stop next to his mentor, dipping his head to help her strip the plant of its special medicinal leaves. From the point where they were, he could clearly see across the river dividing ThunderClan and RiverClan territory, and just in the corner of his eye he could see the stepping-stones he had used not even seven sunrises ago to get across the rushing waters to help a queen in need. He felt proud of his accomplishment, but, overall he was just happy that Dawnflower and her kits were alright.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: UGH! Boring crap is CRAP! I am so sorry you've all been waiting for something that is so short, and so CRAPPY, but my mind is a little short-circuited right now; I should be able to get something a little better up about Crowpaw, but I don't know when it'll be up. And I think I have a certain thing in mind for when they all have to meet up again to begin the journey….  
~Persephone**


	20. 1 Chapter 18: Sink or Swim

"Water! StarClan curse it, I hate WATER!" Crowpaw yowled angrily before being choked by a large, salty wave of the accursed element that had appeared out of nowhere to try and drown him. But he wasn't going down without a fight, you could be sure of that.

The freezing, strangely salty water dragged at his fur and began weighing him down, trying to drag him under, but he wasn't the fastest apprentice in WindClan for nothing; he kicked furiously with his legs, attempting to paddle himself along and keep his head above the water like he'd seen RiverClan cats do on a few occasions. It was certainly harder than it looked, especially with the swirling currents and odd waves that kept disrupting his concentration.

Straining his neck, Crowpaw huffed for breath as he looked around desperately, trying to see the line of reeds that would mark the bank to this insane river, but all there was to see was a vast, heaving mass of blue-green water that continued to move in waves, coming closer and closer to him as if attempting to purposefully drown him.

On the horizon, the young apprentice spotted the sun sinking into the waves in a deep pool of blood-red flame, its dying rays tracing a path of the life-giving liquid all the way to him. Crowpaw could feel his jaw drop and his legs go limp momentarily at the horrifying sight. '_The sun is drowning?!_' he thought in shock, but his musings were abruptly cut off when a wave suddenly engulfed his inert form.

Water surged over his head, freezing his body to the core and filling his mouth with its icy sting, but he wasn't done yet. '_Sorry StarClan,_' he thought ferociously, '_You're not getting me today!_' Kicking with all his might, Crowpaw shot his body upward, toward where he knew the surface was.

His head popped up through the barrier between air and water and he sucked in a breath, grateful for the generous lungful when a current swirled his body around to look behind him, away from the drowning sun. What greeted his eyes was the sight of a sheer wall of smooth sand-colored rock, higher than even the gorge in WindClan territory and Highstones beyond.

At the wall's base, a dark maw opened in the rock, revealing a deep, dark hole that looked as evil as Tigerstar sounded in the nursery stories. Crowpaw's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the jagged rocks edging the cave's entrance, making it look like the mouth of a great beast that wanted to eat him. His terror increased when he realized the currents of the water was taking him straight to the opening.

"No! NO!" Crowpaw wailed helplessly, feeling like a kit again crying for his mother during a thunder storm, "HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEASE!"

He kicked frantically, trying to propel himself backwards somehow, but the waves continued to draw him forwards to the stony jaws of death that loomed in front of him. His kicks and struggles grew weaker as time wore on, and soon, he was directly at the entrance to the black mouth, his body smashing into the rocks that lined it; now the black mouth loomed over him like a death sentence, spitting salty foam and water, gaping as if it were going to swallow him alive…

Then his eyes flew open suddenly. And the dawn sky stretched out above him instead of dangerous cliffs, the pink and gold rays of the rising sun awakening the few birds that lived on the moorland and making them cry out joyously at the sun's return. A nest of slightly-dry moss supported him instead of sinking in bottomless water.

Crowpaw blinked, slowly, once, twice, three times before his body began to quiver with relief as he realized he was in his nest in the apprentices 'den', right in the middle of the WindClan camp, not in an endless pool of water about to drown. The sound of thundering waves was replaced by the sound of the wind whistling through the hollow, which was enough to awaken several of the cats sleeping comfortably in it. Water trickled in puddles around the clearing, and Crowpaw realized the rain must have come to the moorland at last during the night, and somehow he had slept through it during the awful nightmare. He was grateful for the puddles; his mouth was as dry as the moorland had been for the past few days, and his throat was so sore it felt like he'd swallowed a river-full of the salty water from the dream.

Crowpaw sat up carefully, a smile of relief on his face; that is, until Weaselpaw lifted his head from his nest to give him an irritable look. "What the heck is wrong with you?! Can't you keep quiet and let the rest of us sleep?!" he snapped.

"Do you mind? It's hard enough sleeping with him muttering stuff; you two arguing is _not _helping this situation!" Sharppaw snarled from where he lay, and suddenly Stonepaw and Nightpaw were sitting up from where they had been sleeping, looking worried and tired respectively.

"Crowpaw! Are you alright?! You sounded like you were in pain!" Stonepaw exclaimed, hurrying forward to inspect his littermate while Nightpaw yawned and began getting out of her nest, stretching languidly in the morning sunlight.

"Stonepaw, I'm fine! Quit it!" Crowpaw exclaimed, trying not to let his shaken appearance show as he quickly slid away from his brother's boring gaze to stand at the entrance to the den, looking out to where the rest of the camp was beginning to stir lightly.

"Thank StarClan!" Robinwing cried joyfully, trotting over to a puddle and dipping her head to get a drink, "I'd almost forgotten what rain smells like!"

Crowpaw quickly padded over to join the older she-cat in getting a drink, lapping up as much water as he could to wash the taste of salt out of his mouth.

"Not too much; save some for the kits!" Robinwing warned him, flicking him lightly with her tail and nodding in the direction of the approaching bundles of fur followed by their amused mother. Crowpaw backed up, licking his jaws to rid his tongue of the last tastes of salt as he watched the young kits squeal excitedly.

"Mother, water came from the sky! That's so AMAZING!" Adderkit squeaked, her golden-yellow fur fluffing up in excitement, spinning in place like an insane top.

"Why was the sky crying, mama?" Buzzardkit asked, tilting her gray-brown head in confusion.

"Do you think it'll happen again?! I wanna see if I can catch the water in my mouth!" Thistlekit exclaimed, tilting his tabby head back and opening his tiny mouth as wide open as it would go as if to try and catch water in his mouth – though, seeing as how it wasn't currently raining, this was a useless action.

Their mother, Dewspots, closed her eyes and shook her head in fond amusement. "We can only pray to StarClan that it will rain again soon; but for now, all of you drink up!" she ordered, and the kits obliged her requests by sticking their heads straight into the puddle to obediently lap up water.

Crowpaw watched the tiny family interact a little ways off, his mind slowly returning to its normal thought pattern after the hyper-aware state he had been in while stuck in the crashing salt river. '_What you're seeing is real,_' he thought slowly, _'Everything's fine; the drowning sun and salt water was just a nightmare. You're in the camp right now; you're safe._'

But his mind didn't seem able to connect the dots; he knew where he was, but it seemed…. Wrong. After being in that swirling mass of water, and battling for his life only to abruptly realize everything was fine was…. Just so _wrong._

'_There has to be something else_,' he thought, sky-blue eyes narrowing slightly as his gaze slid from the queen and her kits to the sky above to watch the sunrise. He had long ago accepted that StarClan seemed to have a fondness for messing with his head, so he couldn't rule out the thought of Mothflight or some other ancient cat sending him this nightmare. '_What are you trying to tell me?_' he questioned, hoping to get an answer from one of his ethereal stalkers.

No such luck.

**_~Warriors~_**

"Sorry about this, Crowpaw," Mothflight sighed, sitting on the edge of her viewing pool to watch the reflection of the young black tom shake his head and turn to Mudclaw to get his day's assigments after thinking about the dream briefly, "I really do hate to hurt you, but it's for the good of the Clans. You need to figure this one out on your own."

"Still," a light voice meowed from behind her, making the white she-cat glance over her shoulder, "Giving him a vision as harsh as that one was a bit much, don't you think?"

Mothflight quirked an eyebrow at her tortoiseshell friend as she sat beside her and looked at the pool. "Did you expect me to do it differently?" she asked, faintly amused.

Dapplepelt snorted, shaking her head, "No, I guess not." The slender she-cat's neck was covered in thick paddings of cobweb, making it difficult for her to move her head without wincing, but she looked down at the pool as best as she could.

"They won't understand a sign like that, you know," Dapplepelt suddenly meowed, looking up to meet Mothflight's calculating gaze. "They've never even heard of the ocean, let alone been there. They won't understand what's happening, where they're supposed to go."

Mothflight smirked. "Ah, and that's where you're wrong!" she exclaimed, the infamous 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' expression on her face, making Dapplepelt scowl at her good-naturedly.

"I hate it when you don't tell me your schemes," she complained sulkily, making the white she-cat purr in amusement.

"Sorry, but you'll have to just wait and see for now," she mewed, turning her attention back to her reflecting-pool, ignoring her best friend's huff of exasperation in favor of setting her newest plan in motion.

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Lo and behold, Crowpaw receives the first sign of the Sun-Drown-Place! Sorry it took so long to update this; I've had a lot of plot bunnies torturing me for a while, so it took a while to fight my way back to this story again. Hope you enjoyed! Please review!  
~Persephone**


	21. 1 Chapter 19: Conversations

"We have to keep a tighter watch on the RiverClan border now that WindClan is heading down there for water, so keep a sharp eye out," Sandstorm meowed warningly from her position in the lead of the patrol, running through the undergrowth and looking over her shoulder to her charges with a practiced ease that Leafpaw couldn't wait to do herself when she was older.

"But, it rained last night, right? Why would they still need to go to RiverClan for water?" asked Spiderpaw, looking distinctly confused, a look that was copied on several other apprentices faces.

Firestar had assigned most of the apprentices to his mate's patrol, saying it would be good practice for their observation skills. Leafpaw wasn't entirely enthusiastic about the idea – she had _great _observation skills, thank you very much! – until she'd heard that they were heading near the RiverClan border.

'_I might get to see Crowpaw there!_' she thought excitedly, waving her tail in the air behind her like a banner as if to announce her intentions.

Squirrelpaw was shooting her a strange look, and Whitepaw looked distinctly confused at her sudden energy, but the tabby-and-white she-cat ignored them both in favor of running a little faster, nearly coming up to level with her mother. Sandstorm looked a bit surprised at her enthusiasm, but didn't comment, for which Leafpaw was grateful.

She didn't want to try and explain her feelings for the young WindClan tom; especially to her _mother,_ of all cats. Not that her feelings for him were wrong, or, or, like_ that_; they were just friends, after all. She was just excited to see him because of the huge prophecy meeting that had happened two nights ago, and the fact that he had been chosen by _StarClan _to go on some huge mission/quest/thing that Leafpaw shouldn't be aware of but knew about anyway.

Sandstorm slowed down gradually, which was the only signal Leafpaw needed to see to understand that she needed to drop back a bit. She fell in step with the other apprentices, ignoring Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw's shocked looks at her speed and Squirrelpaw's raised-eyebrow-and-smirk combo.

They arrived on the edge of the undergrowth that signaled the ThunderClan/RiverClan border, right on the barest edges of the RiverClan/WindClan border. WindClan wasn't presently in sight, but that did nothing to deflate Leafpaw's excitement.

"We'll split up here," Sandstorm announced, surprising her patrol of apprentices. She smiled at their worried looks. "Don't worry, I have faith in your abilities. Regardless, we'll all remain in the area in case WindClan – or RiverClan – try something. Spiderpaw and Shrewpaw, I want you two to head closer to Fourtrees, see if you can find any trace of WindClan too close to our borders. Squirrelpaw, Leafpaw, you two keep an eye out here for when WindClan arrives for more water. Whitepaw, you and I will be renewing the scent marks farther down. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" the apprentices chorused before splitting into their aforementioned groups.

Squirrelpaw curled up under a holly bush right on the edge of the border, which offered her a surprisingly clear view of the river. Leafpaw squeezed in with her, her ears pricked for the slightest sign of the coming warriors.

"So," Squirrelpaw said casually, startling her sister slightly. The ginger she-cat smirked, a certain _look _dancing about in her eyes. "Excited to see Crowpaw again?"

Leafpaw could feel her fur growing hot under her sister's piercing stare. "Sh-shut up!" she hissed right back, much to Squirrelpaw's obvious amusement, "It's not like that with him! We're just friends!"

"Really? Well, you two certainly seemed _friendly _last time. Did you even realize you were flirting with him?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at her sibling. Taking in the tabby-and-white's locked jaw and glaring eyes, she continued, "I'll take that as a no, then."

"We were _not _flirting!" Leafpaw protested vehemently, "We were just having a conversation!"

"Good." Squirrelpaw said, her light tone suddenly dropping and her deep green eyes turning serious, much to her sister's surprise. "You shouldn't get mixed up with non-ThunderClan toms, Leafpaw. I know you're super nice and like making friends, but having a crush on a cat from another Clan isn't good; for you or for him, and especially for ThunderClan. Understand?"

Leafpaw blinked slowly, unable to compute for a few seconds. Her sister – her rough-and-tumble who-gives-a-mouse-about-rules sister – was lecturing _her _about this? Really?

She opened her mouth, ready to argue right back – '_Don't think I didn't notice you sneaking peeks at that RiverClan tom!'_ – but the sudden rustling of the bushes across from them silenced her.

Squirming slightly to show her frustration, she simply hissed, "I'm gonna move a bit farther on," and, without waiting for a reply, slipped out from under the holly bush and slunk through the undergrowth, unseen by the WindClan cats as they filled the area to get their drinks from the river.

She paused under a gorse bush, catching sight of the now-familiar dark smoky gray pelt. Crowpaw was with the other WindClan apprentices, seeming to be chatting with a dark gray tom and a light ginger tom with white paws.

Leafpaw shifted slightly on her paws, feeling unbearably rude – she was _spying _on them – but before she could sneak off, Crowpaw seemed to finish his conversation and began to walk away, looking much too casual. His Clan-mates continued drinking, either unaware or uncaring of what he was doing.

When he was only a few foxtails from her, he glanced over his shoulder before suddenly darting forward, sliding under the bush and practically tackling her. His tail slapping over her mouth was the only thing that kept her squeal of shock muffled. "What the-?! Crowpaw, what in StarClan are you _doing?!_ You're on ThunderClan territory!" Leafpaw whisper-yelled at him, her amber eyes narrowing at him furiously. Was he _insane?!_

Crowpaw glanced at her apologetically, but before he could get a word in, Squirrelpaw pounced out of nowhere, flattening him into the ground while still somehow keeping them under the gorse bush and out of sight. "Alright cobweb-for-brains, don't move! I know my sister's adorable, but that doesn't mean you can just tackle her for no reason!" she snarled, her claws pricking his pelt.

"Squirrelpaw-!" Leafpaw squeaked in alarm, rushing forward to try and pry her sibling off the other apprentice, but she wouldn't budge; when Squirrelpaw set her mind on something, nothing could make her give up.

"I need to talk to you!" Crowpaw wheezed under Squirrelpaw's weight, unable to take a full breath under her considerable mass, "It's about the prophecy!"

That caught Leafpaw's interest. "What about the prophecy?" she asked, still pushing futilely against Squirrelpaw's shoulder.

"I had another dream last night-!" he paused to breathe in as much as he could, "I need to talk to you about it!"

Apparently, this caught Squirrelpaw's attention. She slowly sheathed her claws, but kept most of her weight balanced on him. "What dream?" she asked cautiously, eyes narrowed into slits of distrust.

Noticing the poor tom's struggles for more air, Leafpaw hissed, "Squirrelpaw, let him up!"

Shooting her a glare, Squirrelpaw complied, albeit reluctantly and with a lot of threatening snarls at the WindClan apprentice. Crowpaw, for his part, looked distinctly unruffled, though Leafpaw could see a quickly growing spark of anger in his eyes. He wasn't going to forgive Squirrelpaw for this anytime soon, that was for sure.

"Alright," he huffed as soon as he was in a semi-comfortable crouched position beside the two she-cats, "I don't have a lot of time, so I'm gonna have to give you the quick version-"

**_~Warriors~_**

**A/N: Hey! Hehehe, it's been a while, huh? *hides behind oak tree* S-sorry about that, I never meant to keep this on hiatus for so long! I hope you can forgive me! :3 Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! See ya next time!  
~Persephone**


End file.
